


No Cracks In My Heart

by writesometimes



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Developing Relationship, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, hand holding, i guess?, oh the pining, they're both fools and so in love it's painful, use of canon elements as a foundation to build their relationship off of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 37,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29229279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writesometimes/pseuds/writesometimes
Summary: He knew the droid was right, that he hadn't known Finn for very long, but he still felt a profound connection to him. Perhaps it was how they'd met, the danger of it all, or the pure adrenaline they shared when they'd been careening through space in a stolen TIE Fighter. All Poe really understood was that he was utterly enamored with Finn and he would do just about anything to see him smile.-or-Poe falls hopelessly for Finn after he rescues him from captivity at the hands of First Order. Finn falls hopelessly for Poe after he rescues him from life as a Storm Trooper.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Finn
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44





	No Cracks In My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> I tried to ~~forcefully wedge this~~ coherently weave this around canon to build and flesh out their relationship. I hope it's at least a bit enjoyable.

Finn woke slowly, a slight coolness in the air the first thing he was aware of. It wasn't entirely unpleasant, but he wouldn't have turned down blanket either. He became aware of a soft beeping sound next, then far-off murmuring. An antiseptic smell. He opened his eyes and found a white ceiling, beige walls. A lamp affixed to the wall above him cast a warm glow over the bed he rested in. 

Rustling to Finn's left drew his attention and he looked over, a small smile spreading over his face as he spotted Poe dozing in a plastic chair, his head drooping forward onto his chest, dark curls a wild mess. His clothes were wrinkled and draped across his lap was an all-too-familiar jacket. Finn tried to sit up and winced. The soft beeping sound from before became more insistent and he glanced up, watching as his vitals picked up on the monitor that was perched above his bed. 

Poe stirred, took a deep breath and slowly began stretching, working his body from the uncomfortable nap he'd succumbed to in the plastic chair. He glanced up at the monitor and then immediately over at Finn when he saw the man's vitals were up. His eyes went wide in disbelief when he finally realized Finn was actually staring back at him. 

"You're awake," Poe whispered, a hint of awe in his voice.

Finn took a deep breath and nodded. "I guess I am," he mused, eyes darting about the small room.

"You're in the medical wing," Poe offered.

Finn nodded. "I figured."

"Right." Poe huffed out a small, nervous laugh. 

"Where's -- "

"She's safe," Poe interjected, knowing all too well who Finn would be asking after. "Rey went to find Skywalker. She took Chewie with her."

Finn let out a relieved sigh and shut his eyes. "She's going to make an amazing Jedi."

Poe smiled. "Yeah, I think she will."

"Did you meet her?" Finn asked, his eyes opening again in excitement. 

"I did," Poe chuckled. "We got to talk for a bit before she left. She has a very... calming disposition." He thought back on the brief exchange he and Rey had shared before she'd boarded the Millennium Falcon with Chewbacca and headed off in search of Luke Skywalker. He remembered how Rey had smiled brightly when she asked him to watch over Finn, that he was strong and determined and would wake up but she didn't want him to be alone when he did. That Finn had a tendency to take her hand when they'd found trouble, so maybe he would like it if Poe took his hand while he slept, his body working tirelessly to heal. 

Poe had sat at Finn's bedside every day since, a week in total. He'd wander in after dinner and gently take Finn's hand in his own while he told him about the events of the day, relay all the best gossip he'd heard around the base, tell him that they were all very proud of him and rooting for him to wake up soon. 

Poe's mind drifted back to the present when Finn stirred in his bed, attempting to sit up again. "Hey, hey, take it easy. What do you need?" Poe was out of his seat, hands hovering above Finn, ready in an instant to get whatever he may ask for. 

"I'd like to sit up, maybe grab that blanket." Finn pointed at the light-blue blanket draped across the foot of his bed.

Poe hit a button on the side rail of Finn's bed and the mattress tilted forward a bit. "Here," he said gently as he arranged the blanket over Finn's body. 

"Thanks." Finn smoothed the blanket out over his mid-section and watched as Poe lowered himself back into the plastic seat at his bedside, the jacket once again draped over his lap. "You kept it?" Finn asked quietly, nodding at the worn and battered jacket.

"Seemed like it was an appropriate thing to save." Poe shrugged as he smoothed his hands across the soft leather. "They were going to toss it but -- " he trailed off as his hands ghosted over the gash in the back.

Finn took a deep breath as his gaze drifted away, falling on his own feet where they rested beneath the thin blanket. "I can try to fix it if you want it back," he mumbled.

Poe's head shot up instantly. "Finn, it's yours," he insisted. "I was going to try to fix it for you myself but, well, I just couldn't ever seem to find the time. I'd leave it in here on the chair thinking I'd have it all fixed up for you by the time you woke up I just... kept forgetting to actually work on it." He shrugged as he looked over at Finn, fingers tracing the jagged edges of the gash.

"You've already given me enough though," Finn said quietly, still staring at his feet beneath the blanket.

"What have I given you?" Poe asked around a soft huff of laughter. 

"A lot!" Finn glanced over finally and beamed at Poe. "I'm not a Storm Trooper anymore thanks to you!"

"Two-way street, buddy," Poe chuckled, "I'm not a First Order prisoner because of _you_. So you've given me a lot too."

Finn felt his cheeks flush a bit and he glanced down nervously at his hands, picked at one of his cuticles for a moment before he felt his breathing even out again. "Well, you did name me," Finn said through a lopsided grin, the flush he'd just overcome returning to his cheeks once more.

Poe leaned forward in the rigid plastic seat and shook his head softly. "I didn't name you, Finn," he said quietly. "I merely gave you a suggestion. You were gracious enough to accept it, and then you took that name and ran with it. Made it your own." He gave Finn a warm smile, pointedly ignoring the stinging in his eyes.

"Well, thank you for the _suggestion_ then," Finn replied through a huff of laughter. 

Poe reached over and rested his hand atop Finn's. He met his gaze, held it for a moment, and was about to speak when a medical droid swept into the room and let out a surprised gasp.

"Finn!" the droid exclaimed. "You're awake! We'll have to run some tests, and I'll need to alert the rest of the medical staff. You'll have some forms to fill out. Oh! And we'll need to go over some health guidelines with you."

Poe watched as Finn's eyes went wide, trying to digest all the information the droid was lobbing at him. "It'll be fine, okay? If you need help just let them know and they'll come find me, all right?" Poe reassured, patting Finn's hand. 

Finn nodded absentmindedly as he watched the droid disappear out of his room, no doubt in search of a doctor to check him over. "I'm exhausted now," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

Poe chuckled. "Hopefully they'll send in a less... excitable droid next time. I should go tell the General you're awake though, she'll be very happy. You gonna be okay for a little bit?"

Finn nodded. 

Poe smiled and stood up, draping the jacket over the back of the plastic chair. "I'll be back after dinner, okay? You'll probably be done with most of the tests and forms by then. Everyone is gonna be so excited that you're awake." He gave Finn one last wide smile before he ducked out of the room.

Finn heard the droid shuffling back down the hall toward his room, muttering to itself, and he laid back in his bed, pretending to be asleep.  
  
**|.|.|.|**  
  
Leia was overjoyed when Poe darted into her office and informed her that Finn was finally awake. She watched him, a fond look on her face as he talked animatedly about how wonderful it would be to finally have Finn back on his feet. She stood and walked around her desk, laying her hands gently around Poe's elbow. 

"Did you tell him about Rey?" Leia asked as Poe finally took a breath.

"Yeah." Poe nodded, smile faltering for a brief second. "He's excited for her, but he still misses her. I can tell."

Leia smiled to herself. "He'll be all right. He still has you, after all." She patted his elbow gently.

Poe reached up and ran his free hand through his hair. "I guess," he mumbled. "There's a lot he'll need help with. He'll need quarters and clothing. And just getting him settled into a more... normal life. I mean, hell, I don't even know if he has any hobbies or anything. I doubt the First Order allows their troopers any personal time."

Leia's expression clouded over with grief for a moment and Poe pursed his lips. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to -- "

"It's all right, Poe." Leia took a deep breath and tilted her head up, meeting Poe's gaze. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think I could handle it."

Poe nodded and shut his eyes. "I know. I'm still sorry," he sighed.

"Let's talk about better things, while we can." Leia gave him a soft smile and they slowly strolled through the door of her office, out into the meandering corridors of the base. She kept her hands gently wrapped around Poe's elbow as they walked. "Was Finn in good spirits at least?" she asked as they rounded a corner.

"He was," Poe smiled. He thought of Finn's sincere eyes and gentle smile, the soft warmth of his hand beneath his own. 

Leia recognized the look on Poe's face all too well. It reminded her of the look that used to settle on her face when Han had been gone longer than a week and she would start to think about him, miss him, the fondness and longing all too familiar to her. She shot Poe a knowing smile and slowed their pace. "Finn will be fine, I can feel it. He's brave and with you helping him I know he will adapt to life outside the Storm Trooper armor in no time."

Poe brought them to a stop in front of a large window that looked out over the hangar bay. He watched as his fellow pilots wandered around the asphalt, fixing up their X-wings. "You think he'll stay?" he asked quietly.

Leia released Poe's elbow and rubbed his shoulder gently. "I think he'll stay as long as he feels like he belongs." Poe glanced down at her, his expression soft. "Make him feel at home and I think he'll realize he has one here," Leia said confidently.

Poe leaned down and pecked a kiss to the General's cheek. "Anyone ever tell you you're incredibly wise?" he asked, a playful grin on his face.

"Not nearly enough," Leia retorted. "Go, you've got far more important things to do than stand around and flatter me." She patted his shoulder and walked away, leaving him staring out the window at the hangar bay with a wide smile.  
  
**|.|.|.|**  
  
Poe knocked gently on the doorframe of Finn's room before he entered, a charming smile on his face as he finally strolled into the room. His smile widened when Finn's eyes fluttered open and he grinned, spotting Poe standing at the foot of his bed. 

"Your favorite droid come back by at all?" Poe teased, resting his hands on the footboard of Finn's bed.

"Unfortunately. The doctor came by too though." Finn ducked his head, apprehensive for a moment before he went on, staring at his hands. "She said, well, it's in the chart."

Poe grabbed the chart that was tucked into a compartment on the footboard and before he could even flip it open he felt like he was going to fall through the floor. Scrawled across the front of the chart in bold block letters were the words ' _Finn Dameron_ '. Poe's mouth gaped inelegantly as his mind forgot how to form words. "Finn Dameron?" he murmured at last, bewildered. 

"Oh, kriff, sorry! I thought they changed it already. I tried to explain to them before I fell back asleep that it wasn't my last name, that I don't have one. They saw the name inside the jacket and just... assumed." Finn let out an exasperated sigh and chewed his bottom lip.

Poe reached over the footboard and rubbed Finn's foot in what he hoped was a soothing gesture. "Hey, no worries! We'll get it all figured out." He glanced over at the plastic chair and noticed the jacket was nowhere to be found. "Where's the jacket?" he asked, brows furrowed as he looked about the small room. 

"They, uh, took it to your room." Finn winced as he glanced up at Poe. "When they input all the information on my forms to the database they used 'Dameron' as my last name and since there's already a room registered to that name on base they... assumed it was my room too." He rubbed the back of his neck and watched Poe.

Poe stared at Finn for a minute before he let out a sigh of relief and began laughing. "Well, I can think of worse people to become accidental roommates with," he said through a sincere smile. He flipped the chart open at last and began skimming the information. His heart sped up as he got to the last of the notes, scribbled out quickly in the doctor's slanted writing. Poe read the words over again, trying to get them to make sense. 

Finn cleared his throat and Poe looked up at him, worry etched over his features. "Just for a little bit," Finn said with a shrug.

Poe looked back down at the chart in his hands. Finn was healthy, strong, all his vitals seemed to be satisfactory, but he was still having trouble with mobility. More than the doctor had anticipated. She was recommending that he be put into a medical coma of sorts, so that his body could focus solely on healing and he'd have a better chance at returning to full mobility. Poe silently shut the chart and slipped it back into the compartment on the footboard. 

"Are they sure about this?" Poe asked quietly as he sunk into the plastic chair, hands scrubbing over his face.

Finn nodded slowly. "She says if I want to get back to full mobility it's my best shot." He shrugged and readjusted the blanket that covered his lower half. 

"You're gonna be out of commission again already?" Poe whispered as he pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes.

"Just for a little while," Finn offered optimistically.

Poe looked up, startled. He hadn't realized he'd spoken loud enough to be heard. "I know, buddy, I'm sorry. It's just... a lot to process. But, if it's what's gonna get you back on your feet I'm all for it." He dropped his hands into his lap and let out a heavy sigh. "When do they want to put you back under?" 

"Tomorrow," Finn muttered as he glanced nervously over at Poe. 

Poe's eyes went wide. "That soon, huh?"

"That soon," Finn responded with a nod.

Poe sighed, his shoulders sagging forward. "There anything I can do for you before then?"

"Is the mess hall still open?" Finn asked hopefully.

"It is, are you hungry? I can snag you a dinner tray." Poe was already on his feet and halfway through the door as he spoke.

"I got dinner already but, if they have anything good for dessert maybe you could snag me some? The desserts here in medical are pretty underwhelming." Finn ducked his head and gave Poe a bashful smile.

Poe laughed and shook his head. "Got it. Better dessert. I'll be right back." He slipped out into the hall, trying his hardest not to run all the way to the mess.

The base had quieted down considerably as the night wore on and the mess hall was nearly empty when Poe finally entered the large room. He made his way over to the pick-up window and scanned the counter for any good desserts that hadn't been claimed yet. He hadn't even finished perusing the left-overs when he heard a familiar, metallic rolling sound behind him.

He turned and spotted BB-8 coming his way. His face lit up as the droid started beeping rapidly at him. "Where were you today?" he called as the droid picked up speed. It beeped a few times happily and Poe nodded. "Yeah, C-3PO can be that way, but you're a good friend to help him."

The droid finally caught up to Poe at the pick-up window and it swiveled its head between the food on the counter and Poe. It chirped inquisitively and nudged Poe's leg.

"I'm looking for some dessert for Finn," Poe responded nonchalantly. The droid let out a screeching sound. "Yeah, he woke up today," Poe chuckled, sliding a plate of cookies off to the side, just in case they were in fact the best thing he could find. He glanced down at BB-8 when it let out a rather sad sounding beep. "I would've told you if I knew where you were, promise!"

A piece of cake caught Poe's eye and he leaned forward and snatched the plate up quickly, a proud grin on his face. "You think this is better than the dessert they have in medical?" Poe asked BB-8 as he leaned over and grabbed a fork out of the utensil bin. The droid trilled loudly. Poe laughed and nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right, just about anything would be better than the food they have over there."

He turned and began heading back to Finn's room, BB-8 right behind him. The droid let out a low chirp and Poe shrugged. "He's my friend," he responded. 

He knew the droid was right, that he hadn't known Finn for very long, but he still felt a profound connection to him. Perhaps it was how they'd met, the danger of it all, or the pure adrenaline they shared when they'd been careening through space in a stolen TIE Fighter. All Poe really understood was that he was utterly enamored with Finn and he would do just about anything to see him smile.

BB-8 picked up speed and Poe shook his head, watching as the droid rolled quickly through the open door to Finn's room. Finn laughed loudly as the driod chirped excitedly, rolling back and forth quickly in the doorway. Poe finally strolled through the door himself and was struck by how radiant the smile on Finn's face was. He stared for a moment as Finn and BB-8 exchanged what pleasantries they could.

"Ask and you shall receive! Better dessert is yours," Poe said as he handed the plate of cake to Finn.

"Thank you." Finn shot Poe a quick smile before he eagerly dug into his much-improved dessert. He hummed delightedly as he chewed. "This is amazing."

Poe ducked his head and tried to hide the blush that bloomed over his cheeks. "I'm glad," he said quietly, watching with a delighted smile as Finn enjoyed his dessert. BB-8 made a cooing sound from its spot on the floor, glancing from Poe to Finn. Poe shot the droid a slightly panicked look.

"What'd he say?" Finn asked around a bite of cake.

"Nothing! He's just happy you're awake. Right, buddy?" Poe gave the droid a stern look.

BB-8 nodded its head slowly before it rolled toward Poe, nudging him farther into the room as it headed out the door.

Finn finished his cake and set the plate on his nightstand, a determined look settling over his face. He stared down at his lap for a moment before he cleared his throat. "When they put me back under tomorrow do you think, if you wouldn't mind, do you think you could be here?" He glanced up, eyes hopeful as he met Poe's gaze.

"Of course, buddy. If you want me here I'll be here. Absolutely." Poe sunk into the plastic chair and scooted closer to the bed, laying his hand carefully over Finn's. "Whatever you need, okay, I'm here."

Finn gave him a relieved smile and nodded once. "Thank you. I know it's what the doctor thinks is best, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little nervous. I'd just like to have a familiar face in the room when it all happens."

Poe squeezed Finn's hand and smiled, warmth spreading through his chest. "I'll be here," he said quietly. "I promise."

Finn let out a relieved sigh and laid back in his bed. "See you tomorrow," he murmured through a lazy smile, his eyes slipping closed. 

Poe patted Finn's hand gently before he stood and exited the chilly room.  
  
**|.|.|.|**  
  
Sleep was ungracious to Poe through the night and he woke intermittently, the memory of Kylo Ren rummaging through his thoughts startling him awake over and over. The horrifying feeling of someone else prying through his psyche wasn't one he expected to be over any time soon, but he had been hoping the nightmares would come less frequently.

Poe scrubbed his hands over his face and glanced over at the clock on his nightstand. He sighed as he realized there was little point in trying to get more sleep if he wanted to go see Finn before his procedure. His gaze drifted through his darkened room and finally landed on the jacket he'd given Finn, draped over the back of the chair at his desk. 

He padded through his room, ignoring how cold the floor was on his bare feet, and gently took the jacket in his hands. Memories of Finn running toward him on the base wearing the jacket overtook the ones of Kylo Ren rummaging through his mind and Poe smiled to himself. He brought the jacket to his face and took a deep breath, shutting his eyes as the smell of worn leather filled his nose. 

The clock on his nightstand chimed and Poe draped the jacket back over the chair carefully. He shut his alarm off and headed for his closet, tugging on an olive-green sweatshirt and running a hand through his hair, trying to tame his curls. He slipped his feet into the slippers he kept near his door and then he was off, headed to the medical wing to see Finn.

By the time he entered the room, Finn had already been placed into a high-tech bed and was wrapped up in some sort of medical compression garment. A few droids and a doctor buzzed around the room, looking over charts and checking Finn's vitals on the monitor above his bed. It all looked terribly complicated and sterile and _serious_ and Poe took a deep breath, trying to school his features and remain calm. For Finn. The man needed him and Poe wasn't about to let him down. Poe stepped around a medical droid and shuffled his way to Finn's bedside. 

"Hey, buddy," he said softly, a warm smile on his face.

Finn looked up, eyes already heavy from the meds he'd been given. He gave Poe a weak smile. "You made it."

"'Course I did, bud." Poe reached over and took Finn's hand in his own.

Finn hummed, a pleased sound as his eyes finally drifted closed. "I knew you would. You're _Poe Dameron_."

There was no hiding the blush that crept up Poe's throat and over his face. He ducked his head and tried anyway. "I'll be here when you wake up again too," he murmured, squeezing Finn's hand.

Finn smiled, his eyes drifting back open for just a moment. "I hope so." 

"Wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the galaxy," Poe admitted sincerely.

Medical equipment beeped, the droids fussed and walked around the small room and scribbled notes. The doctor nodded. Poe didn't understand a word of what they all rambled on about, but he figured it didn't matter much. All that really mattered was that Finn knew he was there. He squeezed the man's hand again and took another steadying breath.

It didn't take long, and before Poe could really process any of it, the doctor was informing him Finn was once again asleep, safely placed into the medical coma that would allow him to fully heal. Poe squeezed Finn's hand once more, studied his peaceful face, and promised that he would be back very soon. The doctor smiled softly at him and politely showed him out of the room so they could finish up. 

Poe wandered the halls of the base for a bit after that, meandering aimlessly as his mind refused to focus on anything but the former Storm Trooper who'd saved his life. Finn was, when he really thought about it, one of the bravest people he'd ever had the good fortune to meet. He hoped he'd be able to tell Finn that himself. Soon.  
  
**|.|.|.|**  
  
Poe spent the next few days mechanically going about his tasks on the base, dark circles ever present beneath his eyes as stress and worry rattled his brain. He woke every morning, went through his mundane routine, and then headed straight for the medical wing to visit Finn. 

Initially, he'd been going to visit Finn before he would even eat breakfast, but Jess had quickly talked him out of it when she noticed he looked worse than she'd ever seen him. So he went about his days, followed the structured schedule he'd set for himself, and finally, in the evening, allowed himself to slip away to be at Finn's side. 

Over the course of two weeks he'd talked more to Finn than anyone else on the base. Some evenings he would tell Finn about growing up on Yavin 4, how the jungle would come alive at night and he'd lie in bed listening to it as a boy. Other nights he'd regale Finn with tales from his time training to be a pilot, the studious days and wild nights he'd spent with his fellow future pilots. He'd shared more with Finn's resting form than he had with anyone in a very long time. 

It didn't matter what he talked to Finn about, every night Poe would eventually drift off in the uncomfortable plastic chair by his bedside. And every night BB-8 would roll into the room and nudge at his legs until he woke up. Poe would hold out his hands placatingly and allow the droid to lead him out of the medical wing and back to his own room. 

Poe rubbed at his eyes as he found himself being herded down the hall yet again by his loyal droid. He'd lost count of how many nights it'd been going on in such a fashion. He stepped through the door to his room and patted BB-8 on its head before it headed over to its dock in the corner for the night. Poe yawned as he wandered through his dark room, discarding clothing as he went until he was in nothing but his comfortable undershorts. He sunk down into his bed and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping to every God he could remember that the night would be different from the ones he'd been having lately.

An hour or so into a fitful sleep he was jolted awake, gasping as he sat up in his bed. Once again, memories of Kylo Ren prying through his thoughts invaded his mind, tearing him from his slumber. He ran a shaky hand through his hair as he tried to catch his breath. His eyes darted over to the corner and he gave silent thanks that he hadn't disturbed BB-8. 

Poe's nightmares had only gotten worse. The nights his mind wasn't supplying a highlight reel of the most terrifying night of his life being held captive by the First Order, it would show him an alternate reality where Finn never woke up. He took another deep breath as he tried to calm himself.

He swung his legs out of bed and wandered through his dark room. Carefully, he grabbed the leather jacket off the back of his chair and brought it to his face, inhaling deeply. It had become a ritual of sorts, Poe would be jolted awake by a nightmare and he'd immediately seek out the jacket, thoughts of Finn soothing the frayed edges of his mind.

Slowly, he padded back to his bed and slipped beneath the blankets, the jacket clutched to his chest. He thought of how brave Finn had been when he'd rescued him from the First Order, how strong his arms were when he'd wrapped them around Poe's body, smiling brightly out on the tarmac of the base. It didn't take long for him to relax enough for his eyes to drift shut once more.

The next day he skipped breakfast, ignoring the vision of Jess' disappointed gaze that drifted into his thoughts, and slipped into the medical wing. He snagged a cup of caf at the nurse's station and ducked into Finn's room. He sighed in relief when he finally laid eyes on Finn.

Poe plopped down into the hard plastic chair, caf sloshing about in the flimsy cup in his hand as he scooted the chair closer to Finn. "I'm glad to see you, buddy," he murmured over the rim of the cup. Steam wafted in front of his face as he took a sip of the hot beverage. "I had a pretty rough night," he admitted as he glanced up and looked at the monitor above Finn's bed, scanning over the history column. "Looks like you did okay, though," he mused with a smile as he looked over the man's vitals.

Finn didn't so much as flinch as Poe's hand came to rest over his own. Poe sighed and took another sip of his caf. He knew he should be out, consuming something tangible for breakfast, going over flight plans and attack plans with his fellow pilots, but he couldn't bring himself to spend another day pretending his mind wasn't preoccupied with thoughts of Finn.

Poe gulped down the rest of his caf and set the empty cup over on the nightstand. He leaned his head back and shut his eyes, squeezing Finn's hand gently as he relaxed at last in the stiff chair. His breathing evened out and before he realized it, he'd fallen asleep.

Shrieking woke Poe some time later. His eyes flew open and he found BB-8 rolling back and forth rapidly in the doorway. A hand patted its head gently and Poe's eyes wandered up, finding Leia standing in the doorway beside BB-8, a melancholy smile on her face. He sat up in the chair and tried to smooth out his hair.

"General," he said seriously, straightening out his shirt.

"I thought I might find you here," Leia said warmly. She walked into the room and patted Finn's leg, glancing up at his vitals. "Doctors say he's healing every day, that they'll probably start attempting to wake him soon."

Poe nodded and glanced over at Finn. "He shouldn't have to lie in here alone in the meantime."

Leia shot him a knowing glance and then settled her gaze back on Finn. "I wasn't insinuating that you should forget about him. But I do need my best pilot to take care of himself, participate in drills, keep up with the daily briefings."

Poe looked over at Leia apologetically. "I know, I just... needed to be here today."

Leia took a steadying breath and stepped closer to Poe, laying a hand on his shoulder, offering him a gentle smile. "I know he'll appreciate you being here for him when he wakes up."

"You think he'll know?" Poe asked, voice small as he stared over at Finn.

Leia nodded. "He knows you're here, watching out for him, he can feel it. I think knowing he has someone looking forward to seeing him again is encouraging him to heal. He'll be awake soon enough, and then you can finally _tell_ him."

Poe's head shot up and he looked at Leia with wide eyes. 

She just chuckled and shook her head. "Wasn't all _that_ long ago I used to look at Han that way," Leia said, her gaze settling on nothing in particular as her thoughts seemed to wander to a different time. "I know it's hard. People still have expectations, you still have your responsibilities, but your mind, your heart, they're wherever he is. You have to learn how to balance it all. Once he's awake it will be easier."

Poe smiled wryly and shook his head. "Was I really that obvious?" 

"Oh, Poe, give me a little credit. You really think I wasn't going to notice you mooning about, pining over the handsome former Storm Trooper who'd rescued you?" Leia said with a small laugh. 

Poe ducked his head, trying to hide the blush growing over his face. "Did you pine after Han after he rescued you from Vader?" he asked quietly, staring intently at Finn. No one else had dared mention his name to the General, but Poe could tell part of her longed to talk about him, to remember him.

Leia smiled, teary eyed. "Is that how he told it?" she laughed. "If it wasn't for me we'd have all been riddled with blaster fire before he _or_ Luke could have formulated half a plan. Trust me, any pining I may or may not have done came much, _much_ later." She laughed again, her eyes bright with memories she so obviously cherished.

Poe laughed softly and reached up, patting Leia's hand where it still rested comfortingly on his shoulder. "I always knew there was more to the story," he said with a warm grin. 

Leia shot him a playful glance before she inhaled sharply, settling back into her role as General before Poe's very eyes. She cleared her throat. "Just make me one promise," she said seriously.

"Anything," Poe swore.

" _Tell him_." Leia squeezed Poe's shoulder before she showed herself out of the room.

Poe stared over at Finn, a mix of wild nerves and hope brewing in his stomach.  
  
**|.|.|.|**  
  
Forty-eight hours was all it took for everything to change on the base. The First Order had discovered the Resistance's presence on D'Qar and everyone was scrambling to get to their assigned tasks as the evacuation got underway. 

People were scrambling down the halls in the direction of the hangar bay as Poe pushed his way through the crowds in the opposite direction, trying to get to the medical wing. He passed Snap in the hall, a confused look on the man's face, and Poe yelled for him to keep going, that he'd meet up with him soon.

Poe practically tripped into Finn's room, eyes wide, breath coming in ragged gasps. Medical droids buzzed about the cramped room, the doctor stood in the corner flipping frantically through Finn's chart. 

"What can I do to help?" Poe asked loudly, running a hand through his hair. 

The doctor looked up from the chart in surprise. "Mr. Dameron?" she asked, pushing her glasses up on her nose. 

"Can we move him?" Poe asked, focus entirely on Finn and making sure he was safe. 

A medical droid disappeared from the room briefly before it was shoved back in, frantic beeping chasing it back into the small space. Poe glanced over and spotted BB-8 barreling through the doorway with the medical droid, C-3PO trailing after.

"What are you guys doing here?" Poe asked, turning on his heel in a panic.

"General Organa sent us to ensure Finn is evacuated. She said you would need help." C-3PO offered primly.

Poe just nodded once and looked back over at the doctor. "Can we move him?" he asked again, gesturing at Finn's bed.

The doctor looked between BB-8 and Finn a few times before she nodded and flipped the medical chart closed. "We could plug the healing chamber into the BB unit to keep it powered and move him then. We'd have to move fast though."

Poe nodded, determined, and sunk down to his knees for a brief moment while he explained things to BB-8. The droid wasted no time getting to work. Poe instructed C-3PO and the medical droids to help push the bed. They all moved together and made their way out of the room and down the halls, Poe shouting for people to make room as they went, the doctor trailing after them.

The hallways were a blur, and before he could really process it all, Poe was standing in the hangar, watching as the medical droids loaded Finn onto a transport ship. Poe waved BB-8 onto the ship with Finn, reassuring the droid they'd see one another again in a little while. He let out a deep sigh of relief when the ship finally took off, transporting Finn to safety. 

A hand landed on his shoulder and Poe jumped. He turned and found Snap staring at him. "What are you still doing here?" Poe asked.

"Can't leave without you, Dameron," Snap insisted with a sincere smile, passing over Poe's helmet.

With a curt nod, Poe slipped the helmet on and jogged to his X-wing. A substitute droid was quickly assigned to him as he climbed into his cockpit and soon they were off, heading out to protect the fleet of ships evacuating from D'Qar.

The rest of the day was a blur to Poe. Somehow, nearly everyone had been successfully evacuated from D'Qar, and more than once someone had approached him with a wide smile and bright eyes, clapping him on the shoulder as they congratulated him on helping to save the day once again. 

It all faded together in Poe's mind that night as he sat in the small, darkened room they'd turned into a medical bay solely for Finn. Machines hummed and beeped, ambient noise filling the room as Poe stared down at Finn's resting form, the jacket he'd given him draped over his lap. He'd nearly broken into to tears when BB-8 had revealed the jacket to him in its storage compartment. Poe reached over and laid his hand over Finn's.

"You're safe, Finn. You're always gonna be safe with the Resistance." Poe squeezed his hand gently. "With me," he murmured.

The thought of the First Order finding Finn again, taking him from D'Qar when he was too vulnerable to defend himself, chilled Poe to his very core. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to clear his mind. The room was cold and Poe snatched the jacket up out of his lap and shrugged it on. 

"Just for a little while," Poe whispered with a soft smile as he adjusted the collar of the jacket. He reached over and carefully laid his hand over Finn's again. Finn's fingers twitched beneath his own and a delighted smile bloomed over Poe's face.  
  


* * *

  
Poe swept into the hangar bay aboard the Resistance's makeshift base, adrenaline soaring after the destruction of the Dreadnought. He landed his X-wing expertly, attendants down on the ground scrambling to assist him out of his craft. BB-8 chirped loudly as Poe pulled his helmet off and he shot the droid a confused look.

"Finn naked, leaking bad... what? You fry a chip?" Poe asked the droid, his brows furrowed in confusion. He looked to his right and saw exactly what BB-8 was talking about.

Finn stood in the wide entrance to the hangar bay, still swathed in his medical compression wrap, hoses trailing after him leaking liquid. Poe was out of his X-wing instantly, ignoring the part of his brain that told him he should be heading to his debriefing with Leia. 

"Finn!" Poe exclaimed, catching up to the man as he dazedly wandered the halls. "Finn, buddy it's so good to see you!" He carefully reached out, a reassuring gesture, and placed his hands on Finn's arms, mindful of the liquid that still seemed to be leaking out of his medical get-up. "We need to get you dressed, come on," he said quietly, wrapping one arm around Finn's shoulders as he lead him away from the hustle and bustle of the hangar bay.

"You must have a thousand questions," Poe said as they walked. 

"Where's Rey?" Finn asked, voice still rough from disuse, eyes wide.

Poe's head dropped a bit and he stared at the floor for a moment. "You don't remember? She went with Chewie, to find Luke."

Finn nodded slowly as he seemed to remember being told weeks ago about Rey's journey to find Luke Skywalker. "Do we know where she is? If she's safe?"

Poe rubbed Finn's back gently. "Leia knows. She says Rey's safe, with her brother, training."

Finn's eyes went wide. "She actually found him? Can we contact them?" His expression was one of awe as he came to a complete stop in the hall.

Poe couldn't help the adoring smile that found its way to his lips as he watched Finn's excitement grow. "Leia doesn't want to disturb them. Jedi training is intense from what I gather, and Rey needs to concentrate if she wants to learn how to control her power."

Finn stared at Poe for a moment as he let the information sink in. "Leia knows she's safe, though?" he asked quietly. 

"She's safe, buddy," Poe reassured as he pulled Finn into something like a hug, trying to be careful of all the medical equipment still hanging off his body. "You want to get changed out of... whatever the hell this is?" he asked, poking at one of the hoses that protruded from Finn's torso.

"Yeah, definitely," Finn said with a nod. 

Poe kept his arm protectively around Finn's shoulders as he started leading them back down the hall. Finn looked around slowly as they continued on to a destination only Poe seemed to know. The farther they walked through the base, the more confused Finn got. Poe sensed the man's confusion and could have kicked himself. 

"New base," Poe offered apologetically. "We had to evacuate D'Qar after the First Order discovered us. We've relocated to a ship we had access to until we can find another planet to establish a base on."

Finn took the information in stride, nodding slowly as he filed away all the new details. "You guys evacuated me even though I wasn't awake?"

"Of course we did, Finn." Poe stopped their progress through the hall, standing in front of him. "We weren't just going to leave you behind! You're... you matter, buddy."

"How'd you get me out? I was in that awful... bed contraption." Finn glanced over his shoulder, down the hall in the direction of the medical wing he'd wandered out of. 

Poe again draped his arm around Finn's shoulders and started leading him down the winding halls. "It wasn't the easiest operation but C-3PO was truly helpful for a change and BB-8 pitched in. It was a group effort but with the medical staff we got you transferred safely."

Finn glanced over, a surprised look on his face. "You helped evacuate me?"

"Of course! I wasn't going to just sit around if there was something I could do to help you out." Poe stroked his thumb gently over Finn's shoulder. 

Finn smiled bashfully and stared down at his feet. Poe gently tapped his shoulder and pointed to a door as they neared it.

"This is us," Poe said, tapping out a code on a keypad on the wall. The door slid open and Poe wrangled them both into the room. It was smaller than the one he'd had on D'Qar, but he couldn't complain, at least he had room for the spare cot he'd need now.

Finn furrowed his brow and looked around the room. "When you said _us_ \-- "

"We were going to be roommates on D'Qar," Poe said with a shrug. "Plus, it's not like there's a ton of room here. Figured you'd prefer to room with a... someone you knew. If you don't want to though we can --"

"No! No, this is good. Thank you," Finn insisted. He glanced down at the hoses still protruding from his torso and then back at Poe. "So, uhm, I don't actually have any clothes, do I?" he asked with a smile, gentle laughter rolling off his lips.

"These should fit." Poe turned and began searching through his small closet. He turned back around, a shirt and pants in hand, and found Finn staring at the leather jacket where it was draped over the back of his desk chair.

"You still have it?" Finn asked, stepping over and running his hands over the soft leather. 

"BB-8 saved it when we had to evacuate." Poe stepped through the room and came to stand beside Finn, setting the shirt and pants on his desk. "I, uh, traded some wine I found in one of the pantries here with one of the officers to have it fixed. His mother was a seamstress and he'd learned a few things from her. It's not good as new but you should still be able to wear it." He picked the jacket up off the back of the chair and passed it to Finn, running his hand over the mended gash in the back.

Finn carefully accepted the jacket and looked over at Poe. "You got it fixed? For me?" 

"I told you, it looks better on you." Poe smiled shyly. "I should let you change though," he said quickly as he realized poor Finn was still in the odd medical garb. He snatched the clothes up off the desk and passed them to Finn. "If these don't fit, feel free to look through there," Poe hooked a thumb over his shoulder at his closet, "Take whatever you need. I should get to my debriefing before General Organa sends out a search party for me."

Finn blinked, glancing from the pile of clothing in his arms to Poe. "Thanks, Poe," he murmured, his eyes going soft as he smiled. "Oh, and good luck with your debrief!"

Poe patted Finn on the shoulder as he walked by him, heading out the door to give him some privacy and finally report to Leia.

**|.|.|.|**

The main control room aboard the makeshift Resistance base fell quiet when Poe walked in and made a bee-line for the General. Leia studied him silently for a moment. The pilot looked more tired than she'd ever seen him, dark circles under his eyes, thick stubble covering his face, curls sticking out at odd angles. She sighed as he saluted her with a weak smile. 

"What were you thinking, Poe?" she asked, shaking her head.

"We had an opportunity, General, I couldn't pass it up. It's not every day that you get to take down a Dreadnought. I -- "

"I'm worried about you, Dameron," Leia interjected, exasperated. "I know you haven't been sleeping, eating. You're all over the place. Today alone... you've never disregarded me before. You're on edge, too wound up. You need to rest."

"General, please, I'm fine. I'm a little tired still from having to evacuate and everything but -- "

Leia sighed and rolled her eyes. "We both know you're _exhausted_ and it's because you've been keeping constant vigil at Finn's bedside." Poe opened his mouth to argue and Leia held up her hand. "I'm not faulting you for it, Poe," she said gently. "If you lose the ability to care for others everything we're fighting for will have been for nothing. I just want you to _rest_. I need my best pilot back."

"Finn's awake now, though," Poe blurted out. 

Leia smiled and reached over, rubbing Poe's shoulder. "In that case, I'm officially _ordering_ you to take some time. Maybe you could show Finn around the new base." She shot Poe a playful grin, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

Poe cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll, uhm, need a cot for our room too."

"I see," Leia mused, tamping down the delighted laughter that threatened to escape her lips. "I'll have someone get you one." 

Poe ignored the flush creeping its way up his throat and pursed his lips, nodding once. "Thank you, General. Anything else?"

Leia shook her head, her smile still playful. "Just remember the promise you made me back on D'Qar." She patted Poe's shoulder. "Dismissed, Dameron."

Poe nodded quickly as he turned and exited the control room, the flush on his torso quickly spreading to his face.

**|.|.|.|**

Finn worried his bottom lip as he stared at the folded up piece of metal and thin mattress that leaned up against the wall of the room he now shared with Poe. Two men had dropped it off and informed him it was the cot General Organa had ordered for their room. He tilted his head to the side and squinted as he tried to figure out how he was going to set up the spare bed on his own. 

At that moment, Poe poked his head inside their room, brows furrowed as he found Finn staring at the wall. "Everything okay?" he asked, stepping inside their room. 

Finn gestured at the cot and mattress. "Two guys dropped it off a little while ago. I've been trying to figure out how I was going to set it up by myself."

"That was fast," Poe muttered.

Finn gave him a confused look.

"Nevermind," Poe said with a small smile, waving his hand dismissively. "Let's get this thing set up." He knelt down and got to work immediately, trying to unfold the metal frame of the cot. 

Finn knelt down beside him and grabbed the other end of the frame, concentrating as they worked in tandem to get it unfolded. Finally, the metal legs relented and it resembled a bed frame at last. Poe was quick to grab the mattress before Finn could, still worried about his back, and set it out on the frame. 

"Already looks better than the bed I was laid up in before," Finn said with a chuckle, patting the thin mattress. He helped Poe push it against a wall and then took a seat on the cot.

"No, no, you take the bed," Poe insisted, gesturing over to his larger, softer, bed. "I'll take the cot. Don't want to strain your back sleeping on this old thing."

"Poe, I'm fine, I can -- "

"Absolutely not," Poe said as his upper half disappeared into his small closet. "You need something more comfortable." He backed out of the closet, blankets and a pillow piled in his arms, and moved across the room to place them on the cot. "I can tough it out for a while on this thing." 

Finn was silent as he glanced from the blankets on the cot to Poe's bed, a hesitant expression clouding his features.

Poe sat down gingerly beside Finn. "You, uh, you still okay with this? Sharing a room?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah!" Finn nodded enthusiastically, his hesitant expression melting away instantly. "I'm relieved to be honest. I'd rather bunk up with a friend than some stranger."

Poe let out a small sigh of relief. "Good! Good, that's... I'm glad." He glanced at Finn, a tenderness he couldn't hide in his expression upon hearing Finn declare him a 'friend'. "I'm glad you're awake, by the way," he added quietly, staring at his own feet.

"Me too," Finn smiled. 

Poe looked up and caught sight of Finn's delighted smile and couldn't breathe for a moment. Finn's excitement and genuine desire to be _kind_ and _helpful_ always struck Poe. The man had every excuse in the galaxy to be withdrawn, mistrustful, yet he was always quick with a smile and an encouraging word. Poe wished he knew how to properly articulate just how much he admired him. 

"I have it on good authority that I don't snore _too_ loud either, so you really lucked out getting me as a roommate," Poe joked, eyes crinkling in the corners, as he tried to lighten the feeling that had settled in his chest.

Finn laughed heartily, leaning over and bumping his shoulder against Poe's. "Even if you snore, I'll still be pretty lucky," he said earnestly, a gleeful smile on his face.

The smallness of the cot suddenly became all too real to Poe, Finn pressed against his side, and he rubbed his hands on his knees, trying to think of anything but how close Finn was. "You, uh, you hungry?" he asked as he stood on unsteady feet, escaping the confines of the cot so he could catch his breath at last. 

"I could eat," Finn said.

Poe nodded. "You want to grab some dinner? Mess hall here isn't as nice as the one on D'Qar but the food's still edible."

"Lead the way," Finn suggested with a cheeky grin, standing from the cot.

It didn't take them long to make their way through the makeshift base to the mess hall. Poe pointed out a small table in a quiet corner and Finn went over to claim it, Poe snagging them some trays of dinner. They shared a companionable silence as they dug into their meal, seated across from one another at the table. The silence was quickly interrupted when a woman dropped down on the bench seat next to Poe.

"Nice jacket," the woman said with a sly smile as she looked Finn over, clapping Poe on the shoulder. 

"It's good to see you too, Pava." Poe looked over at the woman and gave her a tight smile. "Finn, this is Jessika Pava. She's a Black Squadron pilot and an absolute menace."

Jessika shot Finn a toothy grin and stuck her hand out across the table. Finn took it apprehensively and shook her hand. 

"You were right, Dameron, he _does_ look better in the jacket than you." Jessika waggled her brows at Poe as she stood from the bench seat. 

Poe tossed a chunk of vegetable at her as she walked away. Her laughter bounced off the walls of the mess hall. 

"Should I not wear this?" Finn hissed as he leaned across the table, pinching the jacket's shoulder. 

"No, it's fine! Jess was just teasing me. You look good. Fine. It's fine. You look fine." Poe shoved a fork-full of food in his mouth before he could say anything else he'd die over later while he was trying to fall asleep.

"Why would she tease you about me wearing the jacket?" Finn asked. He took a neat bite as he waited for a response.

Poe swallowed his mouthful of food, eyes a bit wide as he tried to think of something to tell Finn. The poor guy had just escaped from the First Order, confronted Kylo Ren in a fight, and been laid up in a medical coma while his body healed. He should let Finn be awake for at least a full day, certainly, before he confessed to him that he thought Finn had hung several moons throughout the galaxy. His promise to Leia barged to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head. 

"You okay, Poe?" Finn stared across the table in concern.

"I'm fine, bud, sorry," Poe answered quickly. "Jess is just like that. She's a terror, but one hell of a pilot. She'll grow on you." He snatched his cup off the table and took a long drink of water.

Finn nodded slowly. "They don't... they don't all still think of me as a Storm Trooper? Do they?"

"Kriff no, Finn! You're a hero. That's how we _all_ think of you. What you did, it was brave. No one here thinks of you as a Storm Trooper. To us you're _Finn_ , a hero of the Resistance." Poe reached across the table and gently laid his hand over Finn's. He tried to ignore the fact that being able to look into Finn's eyes for a change as he gently squeezed his hand made the room spin.

Finn swallowed thickly and stared at Poe's hand covering his own. "I'm really glad you're here," he whispered. He didn't know yet how to convey just how thankful he was for Poe Dameron, but he swore he'd figure it out. 

They finished their meal enveloped in a peaceful quiet and then meandered down the hallways of the base to their room, bodies close as they walked.

**|.|.|.|**

The door to their shared quarters slid closed, the lighting low for the evening, Poe and Finn standing in front of their respective beds. Poe's eyes darted around the familiar space as a heavy silence draped over the room, the reality that they'd have to share a room all night finally settling in. 

"You want any extra blankets or anything? It can get cold around here at night," Poe offered quietly, hooking his thumbs into his pants pockets. 

"No, I think I'll be okay but... I need something to sleep in?" Finn winced as he looked over at Poe. How many more articles of clothing could the pilot possibly have to spare?

"Right!" Poe jumped into action, crossing the room quickly and pulling open the top drawer of his compact dresser. He tossed a soft pair of navy sweatpants and a gray t-shirt over to Finn before he snatched his own set of identical pajamas out of the drawer. "I can, uh, just --" Poe turned around awkwardly as he fell silent, trying to give Finn some semblance of privacy. 

"Thanks," Finn mumbled as he began changing out of Poe's clothes and into Poe's pajamas. 

Across the room, Poe stared up at the ceiling, holding his breath as he tried not to think about Finn, mere feet away, changing into _his_ pajamas. "They fit all right?" he asked and then winced a bit, wondering why he couldn't have waited until Finn was properly clothed to speak to him.

"They're fine," Finn responded as he finished tugging the sweatpants on. He stepped around Poe and placed his neatly-folded pile of clothes on top of the dresser. "Thanks," he said with a crooked smiled. He brushed his hand down the front of his shirt. "They fit just fine."

Poe nodded absentmindedly.

Finn turned around again and stuffed his hands into the pockets of the soft sweatpants. "Your turn," he said with a chuckle.

"Right, thanks," Poe said quickly. He toed off his shoes and tried to quickly pull his pants off. He tripped forward as his pants got stuck around one of his ankles in his frenzied attempt to remove them. 

"Everything okay?" Finn asked, looking over his shoulder. He watched, a blush blooming over his cheeks, as Poe hopped through the room trying to remove his pants, curls bouncing along with him as he moved, black briefs just visible as he continued to tug his pants down.

"I'm fine," Poe answered as he finally tugged his pants all the way off. He made quick work of his shirt and it wasn't long before he was finally changed into his pajamas. He dumped his clothes in a sloppy pile on top of the dresser and sighed. "Must just need sleep," he mused as he flicked the overhead lights off on his way over to the cot. He plopped down on it gracelessly. 

Finn slowly pulled the blankets back on Poe's bed and sat down on the comfortable mattress. "Thanks again for letting me take the bed," he said as he slid down beneath the blankets

"No problem, buddy." Poe laid down flat on his back and slipped his hands beneath his head. "Just hope you're comfortable enough."

Finn adjusted the pillows beneath his head and rolled over onto his side, facing Poe in the dark. "It's great," Finn said quietly through a soft smile. "Thanks. For, you know, everything. Seriously."

Poe rolled over and faced Finn across the room, pulling the blankets over his body. "Any time, bud. I'm just glad you're awake and doing all right. I mean, this cot isn't a luxury hotel bed, but it beats sleeping in cheap chairs in the medical wing."

Finn thought of his time in the medical wing, the sterile bed, the ever-present cool sensation, and the warm hand he felt almost constantly over his own. Poe's gentle voice as he talked through the night to Finn as he laid motionless in the bed. He wasn't necessarily aware of all the things Poe had said to him, but he knew the man's presence had been a great comfort to him while he healed. Finn didn't know exactly how to explain all that to Poe. 

"You know, they told me I might not remember anything when I was out," Finn said at last, adjusting his blankets, "but I do. Well, a little bit. I remember being cold, and sorta feeling like I was floating. And you."

Poe froze, all the breath in his lungs fleeing his body.

"I remember hearing your voice. I couldn't really make out your words but I knew you were there. It was... nice," Finn explained in a hushed tone. 

Poe remembered to breathe at last, sucking in a deep breath. "I didn't want you to be alone," he said, voice small in the dark. 

"Thank you," Finn murmured. He rolled over onto his back and shut his eyes. "You're a good friend, Poe. I'm lucky to know you."

"Not as lucky as I am to know you," Poe confessed, an affectionate smile growing across his face. 

The room fell into silence as both men drifted off, matching smiles of contentment on their faces.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe was pleasantly surprised when he woke and glanced over at the clock across the room on his nightstand, discovering that he'd slept through the night without a single nightmare. Finn still dozed peacefully in his bed. Poe climbed off the cot as quietly as he could, slipped his feet into his slippers, snatched some clothes out of his closet, and headed off to the washrooms. 

The morning progressed normally, Poe running into Finn as the other man exited the mess hall just as Poe arrived for breakfast. Finn said something about reporting to General Organa for assignment, and Poe clapped him on the shoulder heartily. Everything was uneventful until the afternoon. 

The First Order caught up with them, attacking their makeshift base relentlessly. Poe had been heading for the hangar bay when the first blast hit, the emergency doors slamming shut and sealing the rest of the base off from the destruction. Poe was thrown backward into a wall, soot and ash floating through the air as he finally opened his eyes and realized that he'd just barely survived the attack. 

Hands landed on his chest heavily, patting his body down in a panic, and Poe looked up to find Finn hovering over him. His hands stilled around Poe's middle protectively as he and Poe stared at the emergency doors for a moment.

"Are you okay?" Finn yelled over the cacophony of alarms and blasts barraging the base.

Poe nodded and reached up to lay one of his hands over Finn's. "I'll be fine. We need to get out of range, quick!" 

Finn helped Poe to his feet and the two scrambled off in search of the General. They didn't reach her in time, the portion of the base she'd been in blown wide open in the attack. No one breathed for several moments as they waited at a large window, willing their General to survive.

Somehow, it had worked, and Leia was in fact still alive when she was finally wrangled back inside the base. Poe was frantic as he followed the stretcher carrying her into her quarters. The base was a hive of activity after that, everyone scrambling to their stations to try and save what was left of the Resistance. The news that the General would live rallied the troops, and everyone was soon lazer-focused on their tasks. 

Poe stood by Leia's bedside, a deep frown on his face as he stared down at her unmoving body. The effort it had taken for her to survive the blast must have been unimaginable. He reached over and placed his hand over hers gently. 

"I don't know if you can hear me, if you can sense me here with you, but you're not alone." Poe swallowed a lump in his throat and shut his eyes. "We need you, General." He exhaled raggedly, the thought of trading one bedside vigil for another a heavy weight on his heart. He patted Leia's hand and gave her a watery smile, pulling a chair closer to her bed. He'd wait as long as it took for his General to wake.

**|.|.|.|**

The sound of the door sliding open startled Poe and his head jerked up, blinking his eyes rapidly as they adjusted to the soft lighting in the room. 

"Did we wake you?" Finn asked apologetically as he and a young woman filed into the small quarters. 

Poe rubbed his eyes and shrugged. "I must have nodded off." He watched Finn and the young woman carefully, their energy frenetic. He squinted at Finn. "New friend?" he asked quietly, finally standing up from his spot at Leia's bedside. 

"This is Rose, we met earlier when I was checking the rest of the base for damage. We know how we can help," Finn said confidently. 

Poe stared at him for a long moment, wishing selfishly that they were alone, that he could wrap Finn in a hug and let him know he would do whatever it took to keep them all safe from the First Order. He couldn't imagine what was going through Finn's mind, the knowledge that the very people he'd escaped from were now tracking their every move. After another beat of silence, Poe let out a short breath and dropped down into a seat at the table in the middle of the room, still able to keep an eye on Leia. 

Finn and Rose launched into a detailed description of their plan. They knew how they could disable the First Order's tracking device to give the Resistance fleet enough time to slip away, but they'd need to board a First Order ship to do it. Poe nodded wearily as he listened, realizing that Finn would be putting himself right back within the reach of the monsters who'd controlled his life before if he actually went through with everything. Poe scrubbed his hands down his face as Finn finished, unable to mask his anxieties. 

"You really think this is our best option? You two going off to some far-flung planet to find a code breaker? Boarding a First Order ship?" Poe asked quietly, his face still buried in his hands.

"I do," Finn responded confidently. "I don't want to just sit back and let the First Order hurt more people. People I care about." He looked pointedly at Poe and the man dropped his hands from his face, staring back at Finn. "I have to do _something_ to protect you and Rey," he added quietly, taking a few small steps in Poe's direction.

Poe glanced over at Leia. He wanted nothing more in that moment to have her guidance. He let out a deep sigh and met Finn's gaze. He knew what Finn meant, he didn't want to sit on the sidelines either if he knew there was something he could do to help. "Take BB-8," he said at last.

Finn's eyes went wide. "I can't take -- "

"If I can't be there with you, I want you to have BB-8 by your side. "

Finn draped an arm around Poe's shoulders and led him through the room, stopping once they were nearly pressed against the door. "Poe, I can't take your droid," he said quietly in the limited privacy of the corner of the room. 

"You have to. For me. I'll feel better if I know BB-8 is with you. Finn, I -- " he glanced across the room and found Rose standing by a large window, eyeing them curiously. He took a deep breath and returned his focus to Finn. "If you take BB-8 we can stay in communication. I just want to make sure you're going to be all right."

Finn met Poe's earnest gaze and reached over, laying both of his hands on Poe's shoulders. "I'll be all right, I promise." He gave Poe a reassuring smile and tightened his grip on the man's shoulders. "BB-8 will do everything he can to help me get back here. I'm sure of it."

Poe let out a sigh of relief. "You come back," he said ardently.

"I will." Finn pulled him into a hug, lingering a moment as he shut his eyes and focused on the feeling of Poe wrapped up in his arms. 

"We better get going," Rose suggested quietly, fidgeting with her hands as she hesitantly interrupted their heartfelt moment. 

Finn released Poe slowly, he and Rose filing back out of the room quickly. He glanced over his shoulder and stole one last look at Poe before the door to Leia's room slid shut. 

**|.|.|.|**

Canto Bight was luxurious and attractive until it wasn't, its sins laid bare by Rose, and Finn was eager to be done with the whole planet. He was even more eager to put Canto Bight in his past when he and Rose were thrown into the brig beneath the planet's lavish casino. The cell they shared dark and imposing. 

Finn sat down, back against the cold stone wall, feet straight out in front of him on the floor. He sighed loudly in frustration as he leaned his head back against the wall. 

Rose stood at the front of their cell, hands wrapped tightly around the iron bars that kept her and Finn in their cell. She glanced over at Finn and ducked her head. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this," she murmured.

Finn opened his eyes. "You didn't drag me into anything. I wanted to help." He shrugged as he stared down at his hands. "I finally have somewhere I like being. People I care about, who care about me. I want to protect that."

Rose nodded. "I get that," she said softly, clutching the pendant that hung around her neck. "I wish... I wish there was more I could have done for my sister."

"I'm sure she would be proud of you if she could see you now. Well, maybe not _right now_ , in jail," Finn shot Rose a playful look, "but in general. You know, coming out here, putting yourself on the line to help save the Resistance. She'd be proud of you." He smiled reassuringly.

Rose quickly wiped at her eyes and smiled, bright and wide, over at Finn. "Thank you." She sniffed and rubbed her thumb over her pendant, silent a moment as she got lost in thought. "I'm sure Poe is proud of you too," she whispered after a while. "I know it must be hard being away from him."

Finn stared at her, trying to remember how to form words. "He's a good friend. I'll be glad when I can see him again," he blurted out after a beat or two of silence.

Rose squinted at him and nodded slowly. "I'm sure he'll be glad to see you too." She tried to hide her knowing smile as Finn's face flushed. 

**|.|.|.|**

Poe stirred in his seat, eyes opening slowly, when he heard what sounded like a loud intake of breath in the quiet room. He looked over at Leia in time to catch her eyes fluttering open. He nearly fell out of his seat as he scrambled to lean forward to take Leia's hand in his. 

"General." Poe's voice was raw as he squeezed Leia's hand gently. "Are you all right? Can you hear me?"

"Poe." Leia smiled, soft and adoring, as her vision finally stabilized and she recognized the pilot. "You didn't have to sit here with me this whole time," she said, shaking her head. 

Poe patted her hand. "I couldn't leave you." Tears stung at Poe's eyes and he didn't bother to wipe them away. "You knew I was here?" he asked as his brain finally caught up. 

Leia just grinned at him as she sat up slowly. She swung her legs out of the bed and stood slowly.

"General, are you sure you want to be up so quick? Are you feeling all right? Be careful, here I'll -- "

Leia held up a hand. "Poe, I'm fine," she reassured. "I just want to get over to the table." She smiled slyly as she slowly walked past Poe, making it to the table in the center of the room. She sunk down into a chair and gestured for Poe to join her. She was about to speak when the radio Poe had on him crackled to life. 

Poe gave her an apologetic look as he pulled the radio out of his pocket. "Finn?" he asked urgently. Static filtered through the radio and Poe shook it, desperate to try and get it to cooperate. "Finn?" he asked again. He stared in confusion at the radio in his hand. "BB-8's communication servers usually work better than this I don't -- " Just then there was a commotion on the other end of the radio.

Poe's breath caught in his throat as the noises on the other end of the radio got louder, the sounds of a scuffle audible. He heard Finn's voice, then the unmistakable sounds of him being taken once again by the First Order. Poe dropped numbly into a chair at the table across from Leia, his eyes wide as he stared at the radio hopelessly. 

Leia reached across the table and laid her hand over Poe's, meeting his eyes, offering silent support to her best pilot. "Where is Finn?" she asked quietly as the radio finally went silent.

Poe sighed as he set the radio down on the table. Before he could offer an explanation, Lieutenant Connix stepped into the room, shock evident on her face as she saw Leia sitting at the table. Leia gave her a tight smile and urged the young woman to share whatever news it was that she so obviouly had. The Lieutenant nodded quickly and explained in a rush that they were entering evacuation protocols before she turned and headed back out of the room, dutifully heading off to her next task.

Leia squeezed Poe's hand. "Keep that radio on," she said with a reassuring smile.

Poe nodded once and stood, helping the General up so they could begin evacuating the base. 

**|.|.|.|**

Unfamiliar star systems dotted the sky outside the evacuation vessel Poe found himself on. Leia sat next to him, a reassuring presence pressed to his side, as he clutched the radio tightly in his hand. He hadn't been able to get any response from Finn or BB-8 since before the evacuation and his chest ached with worry. Leia patted his forearm gently as they both stared out the large windows of the vessel. 

"He'll be all right, Poe," Leia said, voice low and comforting. "I know it's easy for me to tell you that now, but I have faith. He'll be all right."

Poe glanced over at Leia, a melancholy smile on his face. "Thank you," he murmured as he leaned over and pecked a kiss against Leia's forehead. 

Leia patted his hand gently and sank father into his side, resting her head on his shoulder as their escape vessel continued on its journey. Poe tilted his head lower, resting it against Leia's, forever grateful for the woman that meant so much to him and was a constant beacon of hope for her team.

**|.|.|.|**

The atmosphere on Crait was tense, the surroundings unforgiving, but there was an old Rebel outpost built into a cave, which made up for all of the planet's other undesirable qualities. What was left of the Resistance fleet had made it safely, and they crowded into the old outpost, the First Order still a threat.

Poe exited the evacuation vessel with Leia, her hand tucked into the crook of his elbow, just as the large door to the outpost began sliding shut. First Order ships were already barreling toward their location, and Poe moved quickly to get Leia to a safer location within the outpost. They didn't make it far before a small ship crashed through the door just before it could slam closed. 

Everyone turned in a panic, firing on the ship immediately. Two figures began to exit the ship, hands raised, shouting. The firing stopped long enough for Poe to recognize Finn, standing atop the ship waving frantically. He was off in an instant, screaming for a cease fire. He glanced back for a brief moment and caught sight of the knowing smirk on Leia's face. He ignored how hot his face became as he raced forward. 

Finn's feet barely touched the planet's surface before Poe wrapped him in a tight hug, gripping the back of his neck protectively. Finn felt his entire body relax into Poe's embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around the pilot's middle. 

"Finn," Poe sighed in relief, "It's so good to see you, buddy. I was so worried. I heard them capture you and -- " Poe's words trailed off as he tried to push the fear from his mind and focus on the fact that Finn was back, safe in his arms.

Finn's eyes slipped closed for a minute as he let the reality that he'd made it back safely wash over him. "I told you I'd come back." His breath ghosted over the soft skin of Poe's neck as he spoke. "It's good to see you, too," he added quietly after a moment, rubbing Poe's back gently.

Poe felt something bump his leg, and he released his grip on Finn just enough so that he could glance down. He smiled when saw BB-8 at his feet. Immediately, he dropped to his knees and greeted his droid affectionately, a delirious grin on his face. Finn chuckled as he watched the happy reunion. 

A series of loud explosions shook the outpost and attentions quickly turned back to the First Order ships baring down on the planet. The outpost morphed into a hive of activity as people began looking for ways to fight back and evacuate if needed.

"There are some old ski speeders here," Poe explained as the Resistance fighters gathered around. "We can still make a stand." 

"Poe's right," Finn agreed as he stepped forward. "We need to have hope. We have allies, people still believe in General Organa. We have to do what we can so the Resistance can survive."

Poe looked over at Finn, admiration and adoration clear on his face. "Let's get to work," he said with a smile, leading the way to the ski speeders. 

The odds were against them as a handful of ski speeders set out from the old Rebel outpost, the First Order ships better equipped and better fortified, but the Resistance crews were determined to fight. They were able to sustain combat for longer than most had expected with the ski speeders, taking out a few First Order crafts of their own as they fought. 

Poe scanned the front line of ships and weapons the First Order had assembled as he got closer, expertly dodging fire from multiple TIE fighters. "They have a siege canon!" he called over his headset as he slowed his speeder, pulling back from the front line. "We put up a good fight, but now we need to focus on retreat if we want to save what's left of the Resistance."

"I'm not giving up!" Finn called over his headset. He pushed his ski speeder forward, into the path of the siege canon. 

Poe's heart thrummed frantically in his chest. "Finn, we're not giving up! We have to fall back to fight another day. Please! Don't do this!" His speeder started to come apart beneath his feet as he pushed it to its limit, trying in vain to catch up with Finn as the craft slowed dramatically.

Finn kept going, the knowledge that he could inflict more damage to the First Order propelling him forward. He'd nearly made it to the siege canon when something rammed into the side of his ski speeder, knocking him out of the path of the weapon.

Poe's heart stuttered in his chest as he watched Rose's ski speeder slam into Finn's, knocking him out of the path of the cannon. He could hear Finn and Rose, still breathing, over his headset and he let out a sigh of relief. His speeder was in no condition to keep fighting and he had no choice but to return to the outpost if he had any hopes of helping anyone.

Finn sat up slowly in the wreckage of his speeder and glanced about, concern coursing through his veins when he spotted Rose's speeder beside his, mangled and smoking. He hopped out of his speeder and scrambled over, shoving pieces of glass and metal aside frantically so he could get to Rose.

Rose opened her eyes slowly as Finn took her face in his hands, panic in his eyes. 

"Why'd you do that?" Finn asked, glancing over at his wrecked speeder. 

"I saved you, dummy," Rose responded with a weak smile. She leaned forward and pressed a delicate kiss to Finn's lips. "I don't want to lose anyone else." She let out a sigh as her eyes slid closed again, exhaustion overtaking her body.

Finn quickly removed the safety belt from Rose's shoulders and pulled her from the wreckage. He cradled her body to his chest as he ran back to the safety of the outpost as fast as he could. Medics surrounded them both as he finally crossed the threshold of the outpost, two people gently prying Rose's body from Finn's sure grasp. 

A hand landed on his shoulder gently and he looked over, shocked to find Poe standing beside him.

"As soon as I saw you take off with Rose I headed back," Poe explained. "We have to get out of here. _Luke Skywalker_ is out there buying us time as we speak, we won't get another chance like this." Poe squeezed Finn's shoulder gently and met his eyes. His gaze serious as he tried to convince Finn it was all right to stand down, just this once.

Finn nodded curtly and glanced over at Rose's unmoving form. "You're right, we need to get everyone out of here."

Poe let out a gentle sigh of relief, running his hand through his hair. He, Finn, and the rest of the Resistance members wandered deeper and deeper into the cave the outpost had been built into, searching for a way out. They'd made it to what seemed like the back of the cave without spotting a way out, desperation setting in, when the rocks along a back wall started to shift. Everyone froze in a panic before Rey came into view.

Finn was off instantly, wrapping her in a crushing hug. A happy laugh escaped Rey's lips as she eagerly slipped her arms around Finn's torso.

"It's so good to see you, Rey." Finn took a few small steps back and met Rey's gaze, took in her brilliant smile.

"It's good to see you too, Finn," Rey said, a warm mirth to her words. "I don't have a great fleet but there should be room for everyone." She gestured behind her to where the Millennium Falcon sat. Chewbacca roared a pleasant greeting and everyone smiled. 

The medics loaded Rose onto the ship first, carefully placing her on a bunk. Everyone else followed quickly and soon enough Rey was deftly going through the launch sequence for the Falcon. She smiled as the ship took off, whisking them all away to safety.   
  


* * *

  
There were dozens and dozens of compartments aboard the Millennium Falcon, remnants from its time being used to smuggle all manner of items through the galaxy. Some were secret spaces in the floor and walls, others were closets for electrical equipment and general storage. All of them made for good places to hide away in when the rest of the ship was packed with what was left of the Resistance fighters. 

Finn and Rey sat cross-legged on the floor of one such compartment, facing once another in the tight space. The lights from the various pieces of electrical equipment against the back wall the only things illuminating the space. It was just enough light for Rey and Finn to make out one another's faces as they smiled, swapping stories about what had happened since they'd last seen each other. 

Finn leaned forward, riveted as Rey described her time with Luke Skywalker, the knowledge and discipline the man has passed on to her, the powerful talent she now carried through the galaxy with her. 

Rey leaned back, eyes wide, as Finn told her about his time in the medical ward, waking up and joining the Resistance fight against the First Order, how he confronted Phasma again, besting her. 

Rey leaned forward as Finn finished filling her in, a sly smile on her face. "Rose kissed you?" she whispered, trying to keep her voice down despite her excitement. 

Finn rolled his eyes and leaned back. "I tell you all that, and _that's_ what you focus on?" he chuckled.

Rey shrugged as soft laughter bubbled up from her chest. "It's certainly different from everything else we've gone through lately." She clasped her hands together and set them in her lap. "What was it like?" she asked, looking up at Finn curiously.

Finn took a deep breath and shrugged his right shoulder. "It was... different. I mean, I like Rose, she's very nice but -- " he rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he glanced about the dark closet. 

"But what?" Rey pressed, eyebrows creeping up her forehead.

"I guess... I guess I was just hoping it would've come from someone else." Finn winced as the words left his mouth.

"Poe?" Rey asked, mischief in her wide eyes.

"Shhh!" Finn hissed, glancing over at the door. "Why would you think that?"

" _Poe_ sat at my bedside and held my hand when I was in medical. _Poe_ got the jacket he gave me fixed. _Poe_ wasn't mad I got assigned to be his roommate. _Poe_ insisted I take BB-8 with me to Canto Bight to be safe. _Poe_ is so generous. _Poe_ is so thoughtful. _Poe's_ hair is quite lovely," Rey rattled off teasingly.

"I never said his hair was lovely," Finn countered, crossing his arms over his chest. 

"You spent a solid three and a half minutes trying to describe what it looks like when he takes his helmet off and shakes his curls out." Rey bit her bottom lip trying not to burst into laughter.

"You haven't seen it, Rey! When he takes his helmet off -- " Finn snapped his mouth shut as he realized just what he was saying.

Rey giggled, the tip of her tongue sticking out between her lips. 

Finn sighed in exasperation. "You're going to make fun of me forever for this, aren't you?"

"No! Not at all," Rey swore through a wide grin. "It's cute," she added quietly. 

"Oh, Gods." Finn buried his face in his hands. "Why did I open my mouth?" he groaned. 

"Why don't you tell him?" 

"I can't do that!"

"Why not?" 

Finn dropped his hands into his lap and looked over at Rey, a gloomy expression on his face. "He's _Poe Dameron_! The best pilot in the Resistance. He could have anyone he wanted!"

"And he sat at _your_ bedside for days on end, waiting for you to wake up," Rey countered, leaning forward on her elbows.

Finn shrugged weakly, picking at his nails. "I don't know," he sighed.

Rey leaned over and laid her hand on his forearm. "You should _talk_ to him."

Finn leaned back, resting his head against the wall of the closet. "I'll think about it."

Rey patted his arm and smiled. "Don't think too long," she cautioned. She gracefully got to her feet in the confines of the closet and hauled Finn up by his hand after her. "You wait too long he might think you don't feel the same way." She threw the closet door open with a smirk before Finn could respond.

They exited the closet quietly, trying to keep their secret meeting place secret as they rejoined the rest of the Resistance crew. They gave one another sly smiles as they separated, headed off to take care of their own affairs.

**|.|.|.|**

Rey looped through the Falcon, doing a head count, making sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be. She checked in on Chewbacca and Leia in the cockpit and found them dozing peacefully. She drifted back out into the main ship again, on her way to a quiet corner to do some meditation exercises Luke had taught her. 

Finn slowly made his way through the ship, trying to remember every turn of the narrow halls. Memories of Han floated through his mind as he meandered through the Falcon. Finn sighed, wishing the man was still with them so he could begrudgingly show him around. At last, the hall opened up into the main hold and Finn smiled to himself. 

He walked over quietly and stood beside the bunk the medics had carefully placed Rose in, worry gnawing at his insides. Poe silently slid in by his side, finally leaving the corner he'd been waiting in, pondering his current situation.

Poe didn't know exactly what was going on between Finn and Rose but he swore he'd be supportive of Finn no matter what. The two were obviously fond of each other, there was no denying that, and if a relationship with Rose was what was going to make Finn happy then he'd set his own feelings aside. He'd get drunk with Pava and Snap for countless weekends ahead, but it would be the right thing to do. 

"How is she?" Poe asked quietly, glancing over at the young woman in question.

"Doctor says she'll recover. Shock and exhaustion mostly." Finn felt guilt wash over him as he studied Rose's peaceful face.

Wordlessly, Poe took Finn's hand in his. He knew a thing or two about bedside vigils, he hated that Finn had to learn now too. "She's going to be all right," he said softly, voice soothing. "I know she means a lot to you. You'll be able to tell her when she wakes up." Poe tried not to think about how warm Finn's hand felt in his own, how it may be one of the last times Finn would let him take it. 

Finn looked over at Poe, confusion muddling his features. "Rose is amazing but... it's just that... I just want to be her friend."

"Oh," Poe said slowly, brain trying to play catch-up as quickly as it could while still processing the information. "I thought... back on Crait?" His words failed him as he stared down awkwardly at Finn's hand in his. 

"She's a brave person. A hero. And a good _friend_ ," Finn said quietly. "I feel guilty that she's lying here and I'm up, walking around."

"You know, I bet if you asked her she'd say she was glad you were up walking around. I certainly am." Poe jostled their linked hands gently, getting Finn's attention. He offered Finn a soft smile as he finally looked over.

"I owe her," Finn declared, glancing back over at Rose.

"We both do," Poe whispered as he studied Finn's face carefully. 

Finn said nothing as he leaned his head over and rested it against Poe's shoulder. Poe let his eyes drift closed and squeezed Finn's hand gently. 

Rey slipped away from the corner she had been meditating in with BB-8 and sighed. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but Finn and Poe had started talking before she could leave unnoticed. She decided to go see Chewbacca, ask if he had and suggestions on how to finally get her two clueless men together. He'd put up with Leia and Han for years, surely he might have some ideas. 

**|.|.|.|**

Hours fused together aboard the Falcon as they traveled, the darkness of deep space alternating with the streaks of hyperspace outside the windows making it hard to judge how much time had passed. Exhaustion finally began gripping the Resistance members, no one really sure how long it had been since they slept. Everyone began bunking down wherever they could, using whatever spare jackets and blankets they could find to get comfortable. 

Rey drifted off in the cockpit, Chewbacca at her side in case anything happened while everyone was sleeping and they needed to make a quick escape. Leia dozed peacefully behind them. 

Finn tucked himself into a corner on the floor not far from where Rose still slept, her breathing steady and even. He tugged his jacket off and draped it over his torso as he tried to find a position that was comfortable enough to fall asleep in. A folded blanket hit him in the chest and he jerked his head up, finding Poe standing in front of him. 

"Where'd you find this?" Finn asked as he draped the blanket around himself. 

"Pays to have friends in high places," Poe said with a wink.

"You asked Chewie?"

"I asked Chewie."

Finn laughed and wiggled his feet until the blanket covered them entirely. "Thanks," he whispered.

"No problem." Poe nodded at the space beside Finn. "You mind?"

Finn swallowed a lump in his throat and shook his head quickly. "No, not at all." He nervously smoothed his blanket out over his legs.

Poe sunk down onto the floor beside Finn and spread his blanket out over his outstretched legs. He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. "I can't wait until we have a real base again," he groused, rolling his shoulders as he tried to relax.

Finn glanced over and stared at the column of Poe's throat as he leaned his head back and rolled it side to side, trying to loosen the muscles in his neck. He inhaled slowly and tried to get his mind working again. "You don't have sleep down here," Finn murmured finally.

"I know," Poe answered simply. "Couldn't let you sleep down here by yourself though." He gave Finn a warm smile as he ran a hand through his curls, his eyes already half closed as he began losing his battle with exhaustion.

"I just don't want Rose to be alone if she wakes up, you know?" Finn explained, looking up at bunk Rose dozed in. 

"Yeah, I get that," Poe said softly, his eyes meeting Finn's. "I worried all the time you'd wake up alone when you were in medical. I hated having to leave you. Jess dragged me out more than once to make me eat." His words ran together sleepily as he spoke.

Finn felt like his brain had just shifted out of light speed. He blinked slowly a few times, his mouth working but no words coming out. "Thank you, for always being here for me," he said at last, words barely audible.

A languid smile spread across Poe's face. "Nowhere else I'd rather be." He leaned his head over and rested it against Finn's shoulder, his eyelids drooping closed. "You're pretty great, you know," he sighed, his breath ghosting over Finn's collarbone.

Finn held his breath and glanced down. Poe was fast asleep against his shoulder, snoring softly already. He smiled and leaned his head back against the wall, allowing his eyes to finally slip shut.

**|.|.|.|**

Rey walked slowly through the Falcon, sleep still obscuring her blinking eyes as she checked on her passengers. She rounded a corner and found Finn and Poe sleeping next to one another, backs against a wall, legs sprawled out on the floor.

Poe's body was turned toward Finn, head resting against his shoulder, mouth agape and almost pressed to Finn's neck. He snored softly. Finn dozed beside him, head leaning down against Poe's, their hands resting close together in Finn's lap.

Rey sighed and looked over to Chewbacca as he finally rounded the corner and caught up to her. The Wookiee shot her a knowing glance and shrugged.

**|.|.|.|**

Finn woke to the sound of gentle snoring, puffs of air ghosting over his neck. He looked down and found Poe still sleeping, pressed against his side. He tried to adjust himself into a more comfortable position without waking Poe, but the pilot stirred at his side, his eyes blinking open slowly. 

"Sorry," Poe mumbled as he sat up, running a hand down his face.

Finn stared silently as Poe yawned and passed a hand through his curls. He hid a yawn of his own behind his hand and Poe smiled softly at him. 

"You want something to eat?" Poe asked, voice still soft and low from sleep. 

"I can get something," Finn said quickly.

"I can get it. I know you want to be here." Poe nodded over at Rose. The young woman still slept in the bunk the medics had placed her in. Poe reached over and laid his hand over Finn's wrist, squeezing gently. "I'll be right back." He didn't wait for a response before he gathered himself up off the floor, his blanket slung over the crook of his elbow, and disappeared around a corner. 

Finn took a deep breath and rubbed at his eyes with his fingertips. He rolled his head from side to side trying to get his neck and shoulders to loosen up, his body stiff and sore from the odd sleeping arrangements. The floor of the Millennium Falcon was by far one of the most uncomfortable places he'd ever had to sleep, but waking up to Poe's face, still relaxed and soft from sleep, was certainly something he could get used to. The thought made a blush spread over his cheeks and Finn leaned his head back against the cool wall, trying to think of anything else.

"It's instant caf, but it's caf," Poe murmured as he slid back down onto the floor beside Finn.

Finn coughed, caught off guard by the very man he'd just been thinking about. "Thanks," he said quietly as he took the small cup from Poe. 

Poe nodded silently as he took a sip of his own caf. He slipped his eyes shut and hummed as the caf passed his lips. "Oh!" he gasped suddenly, jamming his hand in his jacket pocket. "Here. Not much but it's edible." He passed a meal bar over to Finn before he draped his blanket back over his legs. 

Finn tore the wrapper off the bar and took a bite. "I think the medical wing on D'Qar had better food," he said, face scrunched up as he chewed. 

Poe chuckled and took a bit of his own meal bar. "Oh, kriff, you're not kidding." He winced as he swallowed. He took a swig of his instant caf, trying to wash the taste out of his mouth. "These taste like Han stashed them away in some closet before the Battle of Yavin." He turned the bar over in his hands, trying to find a date on the wrapper.

Finn eyed his meal bar before he took another bite. "Hopefully we won't have to eat these for very long." He took a long pull off his cup of caf to wash down the vile bar. 

"I'll cook over BB-8's butane lighter if I have to to avoid more of these."

Finn laughed. "That, I'd pay to see."

"Hey!" Poe cried in mock-offense, "I've cooked up some pretty decent dinners with BB-8 in the field." He dipped his meal bar into his cup of caf in an attempt to make it more edible. "Better than this at least."

"Poe, gundark food would taste better than these." 

"Dip it in the caf, makes it better."

Finn shrugged and proceeded to dip the meal bar into his cup of caf. "No, it absolutely does not," Finn groused as he chewed the soggy bar.

"It's a different taste at least." Poe jammed the last of his meal bar in his mouth and downed the rest of his caf. 

"Different doesn't mean better," Finn said flatly. 

"We are never eating those again." Poe crumpled the meal bar wrapper up in his hand and stuffed it into his empty cup. 

"What if we have to? What if we have to spend weeks like this, holed up on the Falcon, eating ancient meal bars and instant caf. What if we don't find somewhere to set up a new base?" Finn tried to slow his breathing as his mind raced, panic bubbling up instantly.

Poe set his empty cup of caf to the side and shifted his body so he was facing Finn. He took Finn's hands in his own and shook his head. "Hey, no, no. It's gonna be okay. We won't be stuck here forever. We're going to find a new base. We'll be okay." He ducked his head, trying to get Finn to focus on him.

Finn sucked in another deep breath and finally met Poe's eyes. "Sorry," he muttered, staring at his hands in Poe's.

Poe scooted closer and put his arm around Finn's shoulders. "You've got nothing to apologize for. None of this is easy." He jostled Finn gently and smiled. "We can burn all those kriffing meal bars when we find a new base."

A wide smile spread over Finn's face. "Promise?" he asked, a low chuckle escaping his throat.

"Swear on BB-8," Poe said with a nod. 

Finn leaned his head down, resting it against Poe's. "I can't wait to see the look on C-3PO's face," he said through an amused smile.

"He'll fry a circuit board," Poe laughed. He let out a contented sigh as he felt Finn's breathing even out beside him. 

**|.|.|.|**

The next few days passed in the same fashion. Finn and Poe would spend time by Rose's bedside talking, playing cards, and napping while they waited for her to regain consciousness. When their backs eventually started to ache from sitting on the floor, they'd wander through the Falcon for a while, socializing with the other Resistance members before ending up at the game board with Chewbacca. 

They would sit pressed side by side in the round booth across from the Wookiee, expressions of deep concentration etched over their faces as they tried to figure out how to best him at a game he'd been playing for decades. 

An hour into their first game Leia had passed by them with a mischievous smirk. "Chewie never loses," she informed them as she went, patting Chewbacca confidently on the shoulder. They soon found out she wasn't kidding.

"He has the sequences memorized," Poe moaned as Chewbacca laughed heartily, celebrating yet another victory. He hadn't lost since they'd challenged him.

"That would be impossible," Finn groaned, staring as his hologram was eviscerated by one of Chewbacca's over and over, the game board replaying the last move on a loop until a new game was selected. "Maybe he's just that good. Or... maybe we're just that dumb."

Chewbacca leaned his head back and laughed again.

"Laugh it up," Poe said, squinting at Chewbacca as he slapped a button on the side of the game board, resetting it for a new game. 

"You really want to lose to him four times in one day?" Finn looked over at Poe, exasperated. 

"I bet you we beat him this time."

"Bet me what? We don't have anything to bet."

"There's the meal bars."

"I hate you."

"That's a lie," Poe said with a roguish grin, leaning closer to Finn, their foreheads nearly touching. 

Finn's breathing became shallow as he stared at Poe, so close and warm and with that _smile_. "You're awful," he whispered through a delirious grin. Something shiny drifted into the corner of his field of vision and he ignored it until it spoke.

"Finn, Poe, Chewbacca! Good afternoon," C-3PO greeted primly. 

Finn immediately backed out of Poe's space and cleared his throat. He looked down, bashful, and focused on the game board, the holograms gesticulating wildly as they waited for someone to make the first move. Poe sighed and glared over at the droid. 

"I have good news! Rose is awake!" C-3PO gave them a single, proper bow before he turned and wandered off, no doubt in search of R2-D2.

Finn scrambled out of the booth, Poe right behind him. 

"Next time," Poe called, turning around and pointing at Chewbacca as he followed Finn. 

The Wookiee just shook his head and hit the power button on the game table.

Finn skidded to a stop in front of the bunk Rose occupied, an excited grin stretching over his face as he realized she was sitting up. Poe watched with a fond smile as Finn scrambled over and dropped down onto the foot the bunk. 

"How do you feel?" Finn asked quickly as he took one of Rose's hands in his own. "Do you need anything? Has the doctor been by?"

Poe laid his hand gently on Finn's shoulder and chuckled. "You sound like your favorite medical droid," he teased.

"I'm fine," Rose said at last, soft smile on her face. "Really," she reassured when she caught sight of Finn's still-panicked face. "The doctor just wants me to stay in bed for a little while, eat something before I get up and walk around."

"We finally found some instant meal kits and ration packets so don't let him give you any meal bars," Finn said seriously, pointing at Poe.

Rose furrowed her brow and looked over at Poe.

"Trust me," Finn whispered as he leaned in closer to Rose.

Poe rolled his eyes. " _Hopefully_ we'll have a base soon and we can burn the meal bars."

"What exactly happened while I was out?" Rose asked around an amused grin. 

Poe excused himself, saying he needed a cup of caf, and wandered off to let Finn and Rose speak in private. 

Finn gave Rose a soft smile before he filled her in as best he could about what had happened after their battle on Crait. Rose nodded slowly as she took it all in, surprised to learn exactly how long she'd been out.

"At least I'm awake now," Rose said finally, jostling her and Finn's joined hands. "I'm glad you're okay," she added quietly. 

"Rose, I owe you. So much," Finn whispered. "What you did. You _saved_ me. I was so... angry and I let it cloud my judgment. I lost focus and I could have gotten everyone hurt. I don't -- "

"Finn, hey, slow down." Rose looked at him, eyes full of empathy. "I can't say that I know _exactly_ what you were going through in that moment, but I do understand the pain the First Order causes people. I know how much they've taken from me, and I know they took _so much_ from you too. I get it. What's important now is that we're both here, safe and healthy." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms loosely around Finn's neck and pecked a quick kiss to his cheek.

Finn swallowed nervously as Rose released him. "Rose," he took a steady breath and rubbed his palms over his knees. "I think you're amazing, and brave, and I will forever be grateful that I met you -- "

"I'm sensing a 'but' coming here," Rose said.

Finn let out a heavy sigh and took both of Rose's hands in his own. He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose before he finally looked Rose in the eye. "I want you to know that I'm forever grateful that I met you, but... I don't feel _that_ way about you."

Rose smiled sweetly. "I know that," she said with a chuckle.

"You do?" Finn asked, eyes wide.

"I know you're into... _someone else_." Rose offered him a crooked smile. "I wasn't trying to make a pass at you back on Crait. I'm sorry if you thought I was. I was just so thankful that you were alive." She tilted her head down to meet Finn's eyes, her smile soft.

"So... you're not upset?" Finn asked apprehensively.

"Of course not," Rose reassured. "Finn, having friends is just as important as having other relationships in your life. And I can't think of a better person to call my friend than _you_."

Finn dropped Rose's hands and leaned forward, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

Rose patted his back gently and let her eyes slip closed, thankful to be alive and safe and among friends. 

**|.|.|.|**

Finn sat on the foot of Rose's bunk and kept her company while she ate dinner, answering more questions and making her laugh until a medical droid politely informed her the doctor would like to perform some more tests and have her walk around for a bit. Finn gave her a hearty hug and promised he'd see her again in the morning before he left her side. He was wandering through the Falcon in search of a familiar face when he nearly ran straight into Rey. 

"I heard Rose is awake!" Rey said in place of a greeting, excited grin on her face. "How is she?"

"She's good," Finn answered with a warm smile. "Already up and walking around. She'll be back in the fight in no time."

Rey beamed at him. "That's wonderful." She slipped her arm around his, leading him through the Falcon. "Have you had dinner?" she asked as they crossed the threshold of the cockpit. 

Finn shook his head and Rey ducked down, rummaging through a compartment near the pilot's seat. She tossed a shiny packet and a canteen of water at him. 

"Ration packets," Rey explained with a shrug. "Not much but -- "

"Better than those damn meal bars," Finn chuckled as he tore the packet open. 

Rey nodded in agreement as she opened her own packet. "So did you talk to Rose?" she asked as she finally slid her instant ration out of the pack and took a bite out of it.

Finn glanced around the cockpit quickly. "Where are Chewie and Leia?"

Rey rolled her eyes. "Chewie is off helping Leia strengthen some of the communication components so we have a better chance of finding a new base. You're fine, no one will find out your _scandalous gossip_ ," she teased as she sunk down into the pilot's seat.

Finn shot a her a withering look. "Rose and I talked," he said slowly. He took a bite of his instant ration and chewed, plopping down in the passenger seat. 

Rey's eyebrows climbed up her forehead. "What did you say to her?"

Finn swallowed his food and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "That I was happy that she was awake," he said with a shrug.

Rey rolled her eyes again and scooted forward in her seat. "Did you talk to her about _the kiss_?"

"Yeah," Finn mumbled before he took another bite of his instant ration. "I told her I just wanted to be friends. She said... that she knew. Said she knew I had feelings for _someone else_." He glanced around the cockpit again. "Is it really that obvious?" he hissed as he leaned over closer to Rey.

"It's pretty obvious," Rey said with a smirk. She popped the last of her meal ration in her mouth and chewed, watching Finn as she tried not to giggle.

Finn threw his head back against the headrest of the seat and sighed.

"It's not the end of the world." Rey laid her hand over Finn's forearm and he gave her an uneasy look. "It's not!" She couldn't hide the giddy smile that worked its way over her face. "You should _talk to him_. Finn, he held your hand for two weeks while you were unconscious, I think there's a good chance he just might feel the same way you do."

Finn stared out the windshield at the streaks of blue that passed by, the haze of hyperspace mesmerizing. "You really, _really_ think so?" he asked quietly.

"I do," Rey said confidently. "And I think that you're both ridiculous," she added, her expression playful.

Finn chuckled and shook his head. He opened his mouth, about to speak, but was cut off by a series of shrill beeps. He and Rey looked behind them to the entrance to the cockpit and found BB-8 rolling their direction, Poe not far behind. 

"There you are," Poe sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I went back to Rose's bunk and you were gone. Have you eaten?" he asked as he stepped farther into the cockpit, drifting into Finn's space.

Finn held up the instant ration packet wrapper he still had in his hand. "Rey was kind enough to treat me to dinner not in bar-form."

"You're really never gonna let me live down the meal bars, are you?" Poe laughed.

Rey shook her head and slipped out of her seat to kneel on the floor by BB-8. The droid beeped quietly at her and she nodded. "I agree completely," she muttered, glancing over her shoulder at her friends.

"Have _you_ eaten?" Finn asked as he stood up. He inched closer to Poe and laid his hand on the pilot's lower back.

Poe shook his head. "I was looking for you," he admitted bashfully.

"Oh my Gods," Rey whispered to BB-8 as she brushed some dust off its head.

"Think Poe could get a ration packet?" Finn asked, glancing down at Rey.

Rey quickly snatched another ration packet out of the compartment near the pilot's seat and tossed it to Finn. "Gonna cost you," she said as Finn caught it. He shot her a confused look. "One _conversation_ " she said with a smirk.

Finn glared at her before he began herding Poe out of the cockpit.

"What's she talking about?" Poe asked, his voice getting quieter as they walked away.

"Nothing," Finn replied weakly. "Let's go get you some water for you ration packet."

BB-8 chirped rapidly and Rey laughed. "I hope so too. They're becoming insufferable." The droid nodded in agreement before it too exited the cockpit, following after Poe and Finn.

**|.|.|.|**

The corner Finn and Poe eventually tucked into was dimly lit and far enough away from the rest of the Resistance members that a pleasant hush surrounded them. They sat on the floor, blankets beneath them for comfort. Poe popped the last bit of his instant ration in his mouth and crinkled the empty wrapper in his hand. He looked over at Finn, seated across from him, inspecting one of BB-8's appendages carefully.

Finn had a small spanner in one hand and a flash light in the other as he worked on tightening something up for the droid. BB-8 trilled happily and flexed its appendage after a moment. It gave Finn an approximation of a thumbs-up sign and appeared to wiggle in delight. Finn chuckled and patted the droid's round body. Poe smiled softly as he watched their exchange. 

BB-8 trilled again and nudged Finn's leg. "You're welcome," Finn laughed as he slipped the small spanner in his jacket pocket. "Be more careful next time. I know you wanna keep up with the other droids but I think there might be some things R2 can do that you... well there might be some things you should just let R2 handle."

BB-8 nodded quickly and flexed its appendage again, swiveling its head over to look at Poe. It wiggled again when Poe smiled.

"Good as new, buddy," Poe chuckled as he finished chewing. The droid gave him the same thumbs-up gesture that it had given Finn before it rolled away, trilling happily. "Thanks," Poe mumbled as Finn sat down next to him, back against the wall. "You didn't have to do that. I could have fixed him up."

Finn shrugged. "I don't mind. Wanted to let you eat anyway." He looked over at Poe, a bashful smile reaching his face when he found the man grinning at him. "He's a good droid," he admitted a little reluctantly.

"He is," Poe agreed sleepily. "He likes you."

"Now he does," Finn chuckled.

"In his defense, when you guys met I was missing and you had my jacket, he thought he was in the right." Poe chuckled and let his head drift back and rest against the wall, his eyes already feeling heavy.

Finn chuckled. "I guess that's fair." He yawned as he leaned his head back. "I'm gonna be really glad when we don't have to sleep on the floor of this ancient rust-bucket anymore." He rolled his shoulders and winced as he tried to get comfortable.

Poe wrangled his blanket out from beneath himself and spread it over his legs. "Lay down," he said, patting his outstretched legs.

All of the air rushed out of Finn's lungs and his brain stuttered, his mouth falling open a bit. He stared at Poe's smiling face, the dim light of their private little corner making everything seem so much more intimate. "I'll be fine," he finally rasped, shaking his head.

"I don't mind. Sleeping like this can't be good for your back," Poe reasoned, smoothing the blanket out over his legs again. "I'd rather be a pillow for a night than have your back lock up." Poe bit his bottom lip as he waited for a response.

Finn's gaze darted between Poe's soft eyes and his bottom lip. It seemed as if the entire galaxy tilted as he tried to remember how to breathe. "Are you sure?" he asked finally, unease coating his tongue as he spoke.

"Of course, buddy," Poe replied softly.

Finn stared at Poe, the silence stretching on for a beat before he finally tugged his blanket out from beneath his legs. He scooted over carefully and leaned into Poe's space. Poe raised his arms as Finn laid down and rested his head and torso across Poe's thighs. He took a deep breath as he adjusted his body against Poe's.

"Better?" Poe looked down at Finn with a crooked grin.

"Yeah." Finn nodded nervously.

"Thought it might be," Poe whispered. He slowly reached down and took Finn's hand in his own.

" _You_ comfortable?" Finn asked, barely audible.

"Perfect," Poe answered through a lazy smile, his eyes drifting shut.

Finn stared at the ceiling for a beat before he allowed himself to look at Poe. Even from the odd angle the man took Finn's breath away. He thought of the conversation Rey insisted he have as he stared up at the dashing pilot from his lap. It could wait a little longer he decided. Finn smiled to himself and shut his eyes, focusing on the soft warmth of Poe's hand in his.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe jolted awake some time later, Chewbacca's loud, overjoyed roar abruptly ending his slumber. A second later Finn's eyes flew open, panic on his face as he tried to scramble to his feet. Poe reached down carefully and laid his hand on Finn's chest.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It's just Chewie. Something must be going on." Poe patted Finn's chest gently and waited for him to fully wake up, understand where he was, that he was safe. He smiled down at Finn, the man's head still resting in his lap. "I'll go find out," he offered through a yawn.

Finn nodded as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he extricated himself from Poe's lap. It took all of Poe's self-control not to lean over and press a delicate kiss to Finn's lips as he slowly woke. Poe scrubbed his hand down his face and sighed. He thought of the promise he'd made Leia back in the medical unit on D'Qar, seated at Finn's bedside as he waited for him to wake.

Poe got to his feet quickly and passed a hand through his hair. He'd tell Finn, he'd keep his promise to Leia, just not first thing in the morning. Telling someone you were hopelessly enamored with them probably went better when you didn't have morning breath and had eaten more than instant rations for at least a week. Poe glanced back over at Finn and nodded at him as he adjusted his belt, straightened out his clothes, and headed off to find out what all the commotion was.

Celebrations greeted Poe as he stepped out into the main hold, everyone hugging one another and smiling. Someone wrapped their arms around him from the side and he turned, a little stunned, and found Rey beaming at him.

"We found a base!"

Poe's eyes went wide. "We did?"

"Leia got a hold of some old contacts. She says she knows the place well, that we'll be secure there." Rey wrapped her arms around Poe again and squeezed. "Where's Finn?" she asked at last, glancing around as she released Poe.

"He was sorta disoriented when we woke up, uh," Poe winced and gestured vaguely behind him, "He's still kinda half asleep." He felt his cheeks flush and he rubbed at the back of his neck, glancing down at his feet. "I'll go get him," he muttered.

Rey smirked as she watched the pilot wander through the confines of the old ship.

Finn's head shot up as he heard Poe approach, an eager expression on his face. Poe beamed at him and picked up his pace.

"We have a base!" Poe explained as he reached down and helped Finn to his feet.

Finn immediately wrapped his arms around Poe's neck, pulling him into a gleeful embrace. "Where? How long until we get there? Is there -- "

"We'll find out, buddy," Poe chuckled. He leaned forward, unadulterated joy clouding his mind, and rested his forehead against Finn's. "We'll find out," he said again, voice low as he realized how close Finn was, how Finn's breath ghosted over his nose. "Finn," he whispered.

Finn let his arms slip from around Poe's neck, trailing his hands down his back as they came to rest around his waist. "Poe," he whispered back.

Poe's breath caught in his chest. Another round of cheers and applause went up in the main part of the Falcon and he pulled his head back. He smiled as he met Finn's eyes. There would be plenty of time to tell Finn everything he needed to when they finally had a base and some privacy. "We can burn the meal bars," Poe said with an impish grin.

Finn laughed loudly and pushed Poe's shoulder playfully. "Let's go find Rey and Rose." He took Poe's hand in his and started walking out to celebrate with the rest of the Resistance crew.

Poe stared down fondly at their linked hands as Finn lead the way.  
  


* * *

  
A gentle breeze floated through the new Resistance base, the air fresh and cool as evening began to set in. The jungle that covered Ajan Kloss was dense, mysterious, critters big and small scurried through the native flora all hours of the day. The Resistance crew had only been there a handful of days but they were already improving upon the modest old Rebel outpost that had been built there years before. 

Leia had tasked Poe with setting out to scout their surroundings. Traversing through the jungle reminded Poe of his childhood, exploring the wild landscapes that surrounded his town, pretending to be a Rebel pilot. He wasn't thrilled he and Finn had to spend most of their days apart, but he was thankful for the time to think as he criss-crossed through the thick brush of the jungle. His thoughts would always eventually drift back to Finn, the promise he'd made to Leia that he would tell the man how he felt. Poe imagined dozens of scenarios where he confessed his feelings to Finn as he he stalked a path through the jungle, every one eventually falling short in his mind. 

Finn had been tasked with helping Rose set up communications throughout the old outpost. The pre-existing fixtures were in need of a serious update, and they would need to add new ones if they wanted build the Resistance back up. Most of their days were spent wandering through the outpost, rewiring things here and there, Finn sighing as his focus drifted to thoughts of a certain Resistance pilot, Rose smirking to herself as she listened patiently to Finn's stories about Poe. 

The two men would always end up back together by the end of the day, pressed close together at a small table while they ate their dinner. That night was no different, and Finn huddled closer to Poe as a gentle breeze drifted over their table.

"You okay?" Poe asked, glancing over at Finn as a shiver ran through his body.

Finn noddeed and tugged Poe's old jacket around himself tighter. "I'll be fine. Just not used to fresh air after being on the Falcon for so long I guess," he quipped.

"Maybe we should have a bonfire, it would provide some warmth and we could finally burn those meal bars," Poe suggested with a mischievous smirk.

"That's an idea," Finn chuckled.

Poe ducked his head as Finn smiled at him, tender and radiant as the sun began to set behind him. He thought of the spot he'd found earlier in the day while scouting around the outpost. A little place atop a hill, dotted with trees and flowering bushes that overlooked a quiet watering hole. "What if I actually found a place that would be perfect for a meal bar bonfire?" he asked quietly, fidgeting with his napkin.

Finn looked over at him, amused. "Seriously?"

"Why not?" Poe shrugged, laughing. "They're god awful, probably older than several Resistance members, and I did promise you we could burn them when we found a new base. I haven't found anything around here in days that would prevent us from setting up here long-term, and you and Rose have gotten the communications working well. I think it's safe to say we have our new base."

"I'll get the meal bars," Finn said with a wide grin.

Poe scrambled to his feet, taking their trays back to the makeshift kitchen station as Finn headed off in the direction of the Millennium Falcon. Poe jogged off to his quarters and quickly shoved a few things into a rucksack. By the time he made it back to the Falcon Finn was waiting for him, box of meal bars in hand as he leaned against part of the ship. 

"Ready?" Poe asked as he came to a stop in front of Finn. "It's not far."

"Lead the way," Finn said with a nod. 

The jungle hummed with activity as dusk set in and Finn glanced about as they wandered farther and farther from the old outpost. Rustling and a low growl in some foliage off the rough path concerned him and he sped up, nearly bumping into Poe.

"It's fine," Poe reassured, adjusting his rucksack on his shoulder. "I haven't seen anything out here bigger than BB-8, we'll be okay. They're probably more scared of us than we are of them."

Finn swallowed thickly and nodded. "Right," he laughed nervously.

Poe slowed his pace and linked his arm with Finn's, careful not to knock the box of meal bars from his hands. "You're fine," he whispered, leaning over near Finn's ears. "We're almost there." He kept his arm linked with Finn's as they finished their short hike, the hilltop finally coming into view.

Poe stopped in the middle of the small clearing and slipped his arm from Finn's. "So, what do you think?" he asked, spreading his arms out.

Finn looked around and marveled at the place. The vegetation thinned out around them creating a natural little clearing, tall trees shot up around the edges of the hilltop, fragrant bushes bloomed around them. The peach and lavender sunset reflected off the small watering hole in the valley below the hilltop. "Poe, this place is perfect," Finn murmured as he set the box of meal bars on the ground. "I didn't know places like this really existed."

Poe's heart thundered in his chest. "I'm glad I could share it with you," he murmured, a soft smile spreading over his face. "I'll get the bonfire all set up, you relax, take in the view."

"Are you sure?" Finn asked, his face still full of wonder as he looked around them.

"Yeah," Poe chuckled. "It won't take me very long. I used to build bonfires all time back home when I was growing up. It was similar to this, thick jungle, wild critters." He got to work, opening up his rucksack and dumping out some of the supplies he'd brought along. "I'd hike around with my friends on the weekends and we'd find spots to have little gatherings at."

"Sounds amazing," Finn sighed as he looked out over the jungle that stretched out below them.

"It was." Poe grinned as he finally held a match to the bonfire he'd built up quickly and it came to life. He snatched a meal bar out of the box and tossed it to Finn. "Have at it," he laughed.

Finn stared at the meal bar for a moment before he tossed it over into the bonfire, the flames quickly expanding then contracting, crackling loudly. He laughed as Poe tossed one in, smiling as it went up in smoke. "I never want to see another meal bar for the rest of my life," Finn chuckled. 

Poe stepped around the bonfire and stood at Finn's side, passing him another meal bar. "Hopefully you never will."

Finn tossed the bar into the fire and sighed as he took in the view, the beautiful landscape, the pleasant bonfire, the exquisite sunset. He glanced over and felt as if his knees would buckle, taking in Poe's soft smile in the glow of the bonfire, his loose curls falling over his face. "You didn't have to do all this," Finn said quietly, looking back over at the bonfire.

"I know," Poe responded just as quietly, slipping his arm around Finn's waist. "I wanted to." He smiled languidly at Finn, studying his face in the warm light of the bonfire. They watched the flames for a while, watched the sun set against the backdrop of the lush jungle. Finn eventually leaned his head over on Poe's shoulder and tried to stifle a yawn. "I brought blankets," Poe gestured over to the rucksack he'd abandoned by the box of meal bars, "You want to sit?"

Finn took a deep, slow breath and lifted his head from Poe's shoulder. "Yeah," he said sleepily. 

Poe was off immediately, grabbing the blankets out of the rucksack. He returned and carefully spread the blankets out behind Finn. He dropped down onto the soft ground and looked up at Finn, smiling as he patted the blanket beside him. Finn wandered over and carefully lowered himself down onto the blanket. He leaned back on his hands, legs stretched out in front of him, and took in the view once again, admiring how the bonfire stood out against the darkening sky despite the flames dying down. 

Poe laid back on the blanket, resting his head on his linked hands. "I'm glad you're here," he said at last, staring up at the stars that were just beginning to twinkle in the sky.

Finn glanced over, a curious expression on his face. "I'm glad we're here too," he said slowly.

Poe rolled over onto his side and propped his head up on his hand. "No," he whispered, "I'm glad _you're here_. I was so worried when you went to Canto Bight. I know why you did it, you felt like it's what you had to do to help the Resistance." He passed his free hand through his curls, brushing them out of his face, and stared at Finn in the dying light of the bonfire. "It was incredibly selfless, putting yourself back in the direct path of the First Order, I don't know if anyone ever told you that. I'm just glad you made it back. That you're _here_."

"Thank you," Finn mumbled as he stared down at Poe.

"I was so relieved when you climbed out of that ship on Crait," Poe sighed, staring down at the blanket beneath him. His thoughts drifted back, and he remembered the feeling of relief that had flooded his body when he'd seen Finn's face. "I thought I was never going to see you again and... I was so mad at myself for not going with you." Poe wanted to blame the stinging in his eyes on the smoke from the bonfire, but he knew better. 

Finn reached over and covered Poe's hand with his where it rested on the blanket. "I never stopped thinking about you," he confessed, barely audible.

Poe's head shot up and he locked eyes with Finn. "Leia told me she knew you would come back. That she could feel it," he whispered. "I held onto her conviction like a lifeline until I saw your face."

Finn took a long, deep breath trying to calm his heart as it thudded against his chest. Poe gave him a vulnerable smile and Finn felt his cheeks flush. Slowly, he leaned over, into Poe's space. "I'm glad she was right," he whispered as he leaned down closer and gently pressed his lips to Poe's. His eyes drifted shut as Poe reached up and cupped his face, tugging him back on the blanket with him, Finn resting comfortably on top of Poe.

Finn tangled his hands in Poe's hair and Poe moaned, slowly deepening the kiss. They laid together on the blankets, wrapped up in one another, trading tender and passionate kisses in equal measure as the bonfire died down and the jungle fell further and further into darkness.

"Definitely better than the bonfires I went to growing up," Poe murmured against Finn's lips as they parted, both men breathing raggedly as they tried to catch their breaths. 

Finn laughed and tilted his head down, resting his forehead against Poe's. "I hope so," he chuckled quietly.

Poe angled his head up quickly and pecked a kiss to Finn's lips. "Stealing a TIE fighter with you was the best decision I ever made," he confessed in a whisper.

Finn laid his head down on Poe's chest and hummed thoughtfully. "You rescued me," he said sleepily, words loose and faint as he thought back to the night he met the pilot lying beneath him.

"We rescued each other," Poe said, rubbing Finn's back gently.

"You're the best man I've ever met, Poe Dameron," Finn murmured, his eyes slipping shut as Poe rubbed gentle circles over his back.

"Finn, I -- " Poe stopped speaking abruptly when he heard soft snoring. He sighed and smiled softly, tugging the other blanket over Finn and himself.

**|.|.|.|**

The sun was barely cresting over the hill, the morning air still crisp and clean. Loud chirping and the sound of branches snapping jarred Finn awake. His head shot up, off Poe's chest and he spotted BB-8 coming up the hill. The droid chirped again loudly.

"We weren't doing anything!" Finn yelped as he awkwardly slipped off of Poe.

Poe's eyes flew open and he reached out wildly. "Finn?" he mumbled sleepily, lifting his head off the blanket and looking around.

BB-8 chirped again and Finn ran his hand down his face. "We were _just_ sleeping out here -- "

"That's not what he's saying," Poe sighed as he let his head fall back against the ground. "He said Leia got a transmission on the communication system you and Rose set up the other day."

Finn let his shoulders slump in relief, his head hanging down as he exhaled a deep breath.

"We'll be right there," Poe called to BB-8, the briefest hint of annoyance in his voice. He listened as the droid chirped back politely and rolled away. Poe turned over onto his side and looked at Finn, appreciated how soft his face looked in the warm morning light. "So, uh, good morning?" Poe offered uneasily.

"Sorry," Finn mumbled as he rolled onto his back. "I just wasn't... expecting anyone to come up here."

Poe picked some lint off the blanket and tossed it aside. "Are you... uncomfortable with people knowing about -- "

"No," Finn said quickly. "I mean, not entirely?" He winced when he heard his own words. He rolled over onto his side and faced Poe. "It's not _you_ ," he insisted and then winced again. "I'm not good at this," he muttered. He took a deep breath and met Poe's gaze. "I've never done this," he gestured between himself and Poe, "I don't even know what _this_ is and I just don't want to have to explain it to everyone else before I even know what's going on."

Poe reached over and laid his hand over Finn's. "That's perfectly understandable," he whispered. "Finn, I'm old enough to know what's worth being patient for." He smiled at Finn, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "No one needs to know anything until you want them to know."

"Thank you," Finn whispered. He turned his hand over beneath Poe's and linked their fingers together. 

Poe was silent as he stared at Finn, the rising sun still shining warmly on his face, his eyes soft from their intimate conversation. Poe leaned over and laid a tender kiss to his lips. "Finn, I -- "

A series of loud beeps interrupted Poe and he sighed, throwing himself back dramatically on the blanket. "You've got to be kriffing _kidding_ me," he groused as BB-8 came rolling back up the hill.

Finn dropped Poe's hand quickly as he spied Rey trailing after the droid. He cleared his throat and nudged Poe's shoulder.

"There you two are," Rey called.

Poe scrambled to his feet in an instant, glancing down at Finn, trying to gauge his reaction. Finn got to his feet slowly and smiled shyly at Rey.

"You're needed back at the base," Rey said seriously. "We just got a communication from a _First Order spy_ ," she hissed, eyes wide.

Finn looked over at Poe, shocked. The pilot nodded sternly and began gathering their things.

"Kriffing unbelievable. Every time it's something else. Figures. Waited too long," Poe muttered to himself as he roughly shoved the blankets back into his rucksack.

"Not a morning person?" Rey asked Finn, one eyebrow raised.

"I don't think he was planning for a search team to be sent out to find us," Finn said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck. "I certainly wasn't."

Rey looked over at him, a bit surprised. "What exactly _happened_ last night?" she asked, lifting her brows playfully.

Finn glanced back and watched as Poe hastily shoved the meal bars they hadn't burned into his rucksack. Finn knew he could trust Rey, maybe more than anyone else in the galaxy, but he also knew the conversation he'd had with Poe wasn't quite finished yet. He didn't want to make assumptions and make things more complicated in the middle of everything else going on. "We talked. I'll tell you all about it later. I promise," Finn swore.

Rey stopped and looked at him seriously, as if she'd sensed a change. "You're happy though. I can feel it. _So can you_ ," she whispered through a smile.

Finn grinned and nodded. Poe jogged up behind them, finally catching up. They made their trek down the hill in pleasant silence, the ambient sounds of the jungle surrounding them. 

The base was eerily quiet when they made it back, the Resistance members gathered in the middle. Leia stood in the center of the crowd, her expression grim. She nodded when she spotted Rey filtering back into the crowd with Finn and Poe. 

"We received a communication from a spy within the First Order early this morning," Leia said seriously, her voice carrying through the jungle, reaching the entire Resistance crew. Her voice never wavered as she explained the grave circumstances they'd just been notified of. The Sith were still holed up on a far-off planet, pulling the strings, gaining influence and power. The Resistance crew members visibly deflated. 

Rey gasped at the mention of Exegol. She took off to her humble quarters and was back in a flash. "I've seen this in Luke's journals," she explained as she made her way to Leia through the crowd. She flipped the journal open to the page she was looking for and passed it to Leia. "Luke was looking for this _Exegol_ place. He nearly found it. We can pick up where he left off. I can go right away -- "

Leia gently shut her brother's journal and ran her hand over the worn leather cover. "Rey," she said softly.

Rey looked at her with wide eyes. "I won't let you down. Or Luke. I can do this. I _need_ to do this."

Leia closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She nodded slowly, finally opening her eyes again and smiling at Rey. "Just be careful, Rey," she whispered as she passed Luke's journal back.

Rey quickly wrapped Leia in a tight hug. "I will," she whispered.

Leia hugged her back just as tight. Then, masterfully, she released Rey and stepped back into her role as Resistance General once more. "Let's all get to our stations," she instructed seriously. The crowd began to separate, filing off to begin their tasks.

Rey headed off in the direction of her quarters again, to grab what few possessions she had before she set out for the Millennium Falcon.

Finn and Poe made a bee-line for Leia. "General," they said in unison as they finally reached her. Leia smiled at them and tilted her head to the side.

"We want to go with Rey," Finn said quickly, glancing nervously between Leia and Poe. Poe just nodded seriously as he watched Leia.

"You really think I was going to let her go by herself?" Leia asked with a sly smile. "I have every confidence in her abilities, but we all need support."

Finn and Poe stepped forward together and wrapped Leia in warm hug. 

"We'll be back soon, I promise," Poe whispered.

"I'm counting on it." Leia released Finn and Poe and smiled, patting Poe on the arm. "Remember the other promise you made me too." She winked at Poe and turned, off to oversee her troops.

Finn gave Poe a puzzled look. Poe just shrugged and hooked his arm around Finn's, leading the way as they wandered off to find Chewbacca.

Rey was surprised when she made it to the Falcon and found Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and BB-8 all waiting for her. "What are you doing?" she asked Finn quietly.

"We're going with you," Poe answered with a smile, passing by Rey as he walked up the ramp and into the Falcon.

"You don't need to do this," Rey whispered, a watery smile blooming on her face as she looked at Finn.

"I know. We want to." Finn smiled and tilted his head toward the Falcon's ramp. "Let's go."

Rey nodded and boarded the Falcon, Chewbacca following her closely.

**|.|.|.|**

Pasaana was a vast desert planet, dry winds gusted over the rock formations that jutted out of the sand. Rey lead the way as everyone exited the Falcon and they gathered behind one of the larger rock formations in the area. She looked around, awed at the spectacle before her. It seemed as if the planet's entire population had gathered for some kind of celebration. Rey grinned as she scanned the crowds of happy faces from their hidden spot.

"Is this the right place?" Finn asked as he peeked over Rey's shoulder.

Rey flipped open Luke's journal and scanned over his writing. "This is it," she said confidently. "This is where Luke was last while he was searching for Exegol." She smiled as she looked back to the crowds. "This is amazing," she whispered.

"They appear to be celebrating 'The Festival of the Ancestors'. It is a large festival, only held every four decades or so on this planet!" C-3PO offered helpfully.

"Perfect," Poe sighed as he scanned the crowds over Rey's other shoulder. "Okay, we should try our best to blend in. The First Order is bound to have scouts here with the celebrations under way." He took a deep breath and looked over their little group, realizing three humans, a Wookiee and some droids would likely draw attention no matter what they did. "We should split up," he suggested.

Rey nodded and slipped Luke's journal into the bag slung over her shoulder. "I'll go with Chewie and BB-8," she said as she began walking off, eager smile on her face. 

Chewbacca looked at Finn and Poe and shrugged before he and BB-8 took off after Rey. 

Poe shot Finn a small smile and raised his eyebrows. "Guess it's just us then," he said quietly, stepping closer to Finn, reaching for his hand.

"Indeed!" C-3PO agreed enthusiastically.

"Oh Gods!" Poe yelped, dropping Finn's hand. "3PO. I forgot you were still here." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Well," C-3PO huffed, offended.

A delighted grin broke out over Finn's face, amused laughter escaping his lips.

Poe pointed a finger at Finn and squinted. "Not funny," he said.

Finn laughed again and leaned over into Poe's space. "It was sorta funny," he whispered as he slipped his arm around Poe's waist and headed out in the direction of the crowds.

"So... any ideas on who the First Order spy could be?" Poe asked, changing the subject as they neared the celebrations.

Finn shrugged. "Could be anyone. Morale isn't exactly high over there."

Poe nodded slowly. "What are we looking for out here exactly?" he asked as they finally faded into the crowds.

"Let's just watch for anything suspicious," Finn suggested, trying to study each face they passed. 

Poe nodded in agreement and looked around, scanning the crowds for anything out of place. "So, I was thinking, when we get back to the base... I'd like to continue the conversation we were having last night," he said slowly as they walked, glancing around at the merchant stalls they passed.

Finn tightened his grip on Poe's waist and smiled. "I think I'd like that," he said quietly.

"Yeah?" Poe breathed as he turned in Finn's grasp and met his eyes.

"Yeah," Finn whispered back, a crooked grin on his face.

Poe felt his breath catch in his chest as he stared into Finn's eyes, the wind gusting up through the desert around them. " _Kriff_ ," he whispered as he leaned in closer to Finn.

Rey skidded to a stop in front of them, arms flailing as she tried to maintain her balance. Finn's eyes went wide and he loosened his grip on Poe's waist. Poe waved his hand in front of his face, trying to swat away the dust Rey had kicked up before he inhaled it.

"We need to go!" Rey insisted. She was just about to elaborate when a First Order trooper opened fire on them. They all scrambled, trying to make their way out of the crowds. Suddenly, the trooper fell backward, a shot piercing his helmet. Rey looked up and found a tall, masked figure staring at them.

"Follow me," the mysterious figure instructed, ducking inside a large vehicle that crossed over the sand.

Rey glanced back at Finn and Poe, looking for a suggestion on what they should do next. Poe took Finn's hand, laid his other hand gently on Rey's back, and they all stepped inside the strange vehicle together. Chewbacca ducked in carefully after them.

The figure removed his helmet slowly and they all gasped, Chewbacca erupting into a joyous roar. "General Calrissian," Poe said in awe.

Lando laughed and set his helmet aside. "Chewie," he said with a wide smile. Chewbacca roared again and Lando smiled as he clapped the Wookiee on the shoulder. "Leia sent me a transmission," he explained.

"We're looking for Exegol," Poe explained, Finn and Rey still looking on in awe of the man standing before them.

Lando nodded and explained that he and Luke had traveled to Pasaana years ago, searching for their own answers about Exegol. "There's an abandoned ship, out beyond the settlements. It belonged to the Jedi hunter we tracked here. That would probably be the best place for you to start." The scream of TIE fighters cut through the air, and everyone in the vehicle froze. "You better get going," Lando urged, lifting the curtain on the side of the vehicle.

Chewbacca embraced Lando in a crushing hug before they all slipped out of the vehicle and set off again, determined to reach the ship Lando had told them about before the First Order could. Poe spotted two unattended speeders and slid to a stop in the sand, popping open a side panel on one. He tugged some wires out and began fussing with them until the speeder kicked on. 

"How do you know how to do that?" Finn asked, disbelief overtaking his face as he watched Poe duck under the running speeder.

Poe said nothing as he got to work on the second speeder. It kicked on after a few seconds and he hopped on, gesturing for everyone to follow his lead. Finn glanced at Rey and shrugged. They helped Chewbacca hoist BB-8 onto the other speeder and then they were off, First Order troops on their tails immediately. They did their best to shake them as they careened over the sandy landscape, dodging cliffs and rock formations. The trooper got off a lucky shot just before he crashed, sending both speeders sputtering through the air wildly. They landed roughly in a patch of what seemed to be gravel.

Finn tried to sit up at once and felt like he was sinking into the ground. "What is this?" he asked as he struggled against the shifting gravel.

Rey scrambled, trying to grab BB-8. "Sinking fields!" she yelled, frantically trying to help the droid.

Poe rolled over, reaching for Finn. "What are we supposed to do?" he yelled. He glanced over his shoulder, looking for Chewbacca. The Woookiee shouted as he slipped farther and farther into the gravel.

"Hang on!" Rey screamed, trying to scoop gravel from around BB-8 where it continued to sink rapidly.

Poe disappeared beneath the gravel before he could grab Finn's hand. Finn felt panic settle over his body like a heavy blanket. He glanced over at Rey where she was still trying to save BB-8, sinking rapidly herself. He flailed his arms wildly, trying to reach her.

"Rey!" Finn yelled, still struggling in the gravel. "Rey, I never got to tell you -- "

Rey struggled to turn around, doing so just in time to watch Finn disappear into the sinking field. Desperation and fear coursed through her veins and she shut her eyes, trying to focus, center herself. Suddenly, hands were pulling at her legs, a voice was shouting her name. She opened her eyes and found Poe quite literally catching her as she fell.

**|.|.|.|**

"Where are we?" Rey asked, her eyes darting about in the dark.

Poe shrugged as he helped Rey get steady on her feet. A loud 'thud' beside them caught their attention and they spun around, sighing in relief when they spotted BB-8 dropping to the ground. 

"Where's Finn?" Poe asked, desperation beginning to settle over his face.

"I'm here, I'm fine. Chewie's good too." Finn stumbled out from behind a corner, brushing dust from his chest, Chewbacca on his heels. 

Poe scrambled, tripping over his own feet to get to Finn. He laid his hands on Finn's chest and exhaled a shaky breath. "You sure?" Poe whispered as he slid his hands up Finn's torso, cupping his face.

"I'm sure," Finn whispered back. He laid his hands on Poe's chest and smiled as he leaned his head down, nearly closing the distance between them.

"What a relief!" C-3PO's prim voice called as he stumbled into the dark chamber everyone was gathered in. "I was so worried for all of you."

Finn and Poe backed away from one another so fast they both nearly fell. Rey rolled her eyes and sighed, summoning all her control to keep from laughing. She ignited her lightsaber and the dark tunnels were bathed in cool light. Carefully, she began walking forward, looking for a way out. 

Finn caught up to her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You all right?" he asked quietly as they peeked around the corner they stopped at. 

"I'm fine," Rey reassured with a smile. "What were you going to tell me?"

"When?"

"Earlier, when we were sinking?"

Finn glanced over his shoulder and realized Poe was not far behind them. "I'll tell you later," he muttered. 

Poe stopped in his tracks, a wave of something like jealously hitting him, turning immediately to hurt. He knew he didn't have a right to pry, but the thought that Finn felt like there was something he couldn't share with him stung Poe, caused an ache somewhere deep and vulnerable within him. He also knew he had to try and accept it. He took a deep breath and trudged forward, passing between Finn and Rey, rounding the corner into the darkness.

Rey shot Finn a curious glance and he stared back at her, just as confused. They all stumbled through the tunnels in silence after that until they happened upon a speeder wreck. They scoured over the wreck for clues, trying to be careful not to spring any traps or dislodge the wreckage. 

"What's this?" Rey asked as she pulled a dagger from the sand near the wreckage.

C-3PO leaned over and inspected the dagger. "It's engraved with coordinates. I cannot translate them though."

"What?" Poe barked, turning to face the droid.

"My programming forbids me from translating Sith languages," C-3PO explained matter-of-factly.

Poe pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Can you help _at all_?"

"I think that may be a potential exit," C-3PO offered, pointing over to a section of the tunnels where sunlight seemed to be visible through some cracks in a wall. 

Rey grinned at Poe, barely containing her laughter. "Thank you, 3PO."

Finn laughed and laid his hand on the small of Poe's back. "Let's go."

Rey passed the dagger to Chewbacca and the Wookiee nodded, tucking it safely in the pack he had slung across his chest. 

C-3PO had been right, and it didn't take them long to squeeze out of the tunnels through a gap in some rocks. The first thing they spotted as they resurfaced was an old ship, perched atop a hill. Poe and Finn were off instantly to inspect it while Rey, BB-8, and C-3PO kept watch. Chewbacca headed out to scout the area. 

Finn and Poe helped one another scale the rocky hillside, carefully watching the area for any signs of trouble as they climbed. Poe dropped down into the pilot's seat of the abandoned ship as soon as they made it inside and began flicking switches, pushing various buttons. At last, he got a response and the ship sputtered to life beneath him.

Finn searched through the ship for anything helpful, stumbling on an old droid in the process. It sputtered to life and began wheeling through the ship. Finn stared at it cautiously as he wandered back to the cockpit. He sat down in the seat beside Poe and sighed, concern settling over him as he watched Poe roughly hit a few buttons on the dashboard of the old ship. "You okay?" Finn murmured.

"I'm fine," Poe said shortly as he flicked another switch and checked the display screen to to his right. He felt Finn's eyes on him, watching him carefully, and he sighed. "I'm just tired," he muttered, turning in his seat to face Finn. It wasn't entirely a lie, being woken up abruptly in the jungle and then immediately having to set off on what was clearly becoming a multi-planet expedition was not what he'd anticipated for his day, and it was all starting to weigh on him.

Finn gently laid his hand over Poe's. "We'll be outta here soon and you can take a nap. Rey and I can manage this old ship," he offered with a warm smile. Erratic movement coming up the hillside toward the ship drew his and Poe's attention, and they squinted against the sun as they stared out the windshield. 

Their eyes went wide as they realized it was Rey, scrambling her way up the rocky hillside toward them. She stopped when she realized they could see her. "They got Chewie!" she screamed, gesturing wildly to her right.

Poe's heart sank as he looked in the direction Rey pointed and watched as a handcuffed Chewbacca was forced onto a First Order ship. "Kriffing hell," he spat, slamming down a lever on the dashboard.

Finn was out of his seat and running to the back of the ship at once. "We gotta go!" he called to Rey as he lowered the ramp. 

Rey scaled the rest of the rocky hillside as quickly as she could and took Finn's outstretched hand. He pulled her into the old ship and Poe immediately got them off the ground. Finn slammed the ship's ramp shut and exchanged a worried look with Rey. 

"We'll get him back," Finn swore.

Poe watched in horror as the First Order ship Chewbacca had been loaded onto took off. He pushed a few buttons and they were off, drifting through hyperspace without any real destination. He got to his feet and wandered through the ship, back to where Rey and Finn sat huddled together on the floor, C-3PO leaned up against a wall near them. 

"We're going to get him back," Finn said again, taking Rey's hand in his as he looked up at Poe.

"We don't know where they're going," Poe sighed. He inhaled a deep, steady breath through his nose and tried not to let his mind wander back to his own spell of captivity at the hands of the First Order. 

"He has the dagger," Rey said quietly, staring at the floor.

"What?" Poe asked, shaking his head to clear his thoughts.

"The dagger we found in the tunnels, I gave it to Chewie. I knew that he'd be more careful with it than I would... they'll probably find it on him." Rey's shoulders slumped forward, tears brimming in her eyes.

"The coordinates," Finn whispered. He got to his feet and stood in front of Poe. "They'll probably head off to wherever the coordinates on the dagger lead to."

Poe shut his eyes and sighed. "We don't know what they say."

"C-3PO does." Finn turned on his heel and looked at the droid.

Rey's head shot up from her spot on the floor and Poe brushed past Finn to stand in front of the droid, an expectant look on his face. 

"I am terribly sorry but I cannot translate them. My programming forbids me from translating Sith languages." C-3PO explained.

"Not even for Chewie?" Rey asked, her voice small.

"I am sorry," C-3PO responded.

"What if there was a way to bypass your programming?" Poe asked, watching the droid carefully.

Finn gave Poe a confused look. "What do you mean bypass his programming? How would we even do that?"

" _We_ wouldn't," Poe answered quietly.

Finn squinted at him and waited silently for an explanation.

"I may know a black market droid-smith but... he's on Kijimi," Poe groaned.

Finn and Rey shot one another confused looks. "What's wrong with Kijimi?" Finn asked slowly.

"I had some... bad luck on Kijimi," Poe muttered. Finn's expression turned to one of concern and Poe shut his eyes. "It doesn't matter. If this mission fails, it's all been for nothing. All we've done. All this time," he said softly. 

"We're all in this," Finn said earnestly. "Until the end."

Rey stood and took Finn's hand in hers. "We have to try. For Chewie."

"For Chewie," Poe whispered as he took Finn's other hand.

**|.|.|.|**

The old ship drifted through light speed, headed for Kijimi. Rey sat on the floor in the back of the ship, fixing up the droid Finn had found with BB-8's help, C-3PO offering suggestions as she worked. Finn and Poe dug through some compartments in the front of the ship looking for any supplies that may prove useful.

"So much for your nap. Sorry," Finn muttered as he dug through a tall locker.

Poe shrugged as he shut a cabinet. "Not your fault. I'll sleep later."

Finn offered him a tight smile before he turned his attention back to the locker. "What about these?" he asked, pulling out a thick jacket. "There are probably four or five in here," he said, digging deeper into the locker.

"They'll come in handy, Kijimi's freezing," Poe offered.

"What exactly... happened on Kijimi?" Finn asked, tossing the thick jackets over the table behind him.

Poe closed the foot locker he'd been looking through and sat down on the lid. He ran a hand through his curls and sighed. "A lot," he muttered. "Look, let's just say it's a... rougher planet. When we get there, let me do the talking, okay?"

Finn squinted at him. "Does it have anything to do with how you know how to hot-wire a speeder?"

Poe chuckled and shook his head. "Not gonna let that go, huh?"

"Nope," Finn replied with a grin.

"Kijimi was a lifetime ago," Poe whispered.

"You sure you're gonna be okay going back?"

"Have to be. We've gotta get Chewie back, find Exegol, and if this is the only way... I have to be."

Finn stepped through the small space and laid his hands on Poe's shoulders. "Whatever happened on Kijimi, the Poe Dameron I know, he's a great man and I'm lucky to know him."

Poe smiled up at Finn before he glanced around him, into the back of the ship. He found Rey still preoccupied with the little green-and-white droid and he stood up. Quickly, he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to Finn's lips. An alarm sounded in the cockpit, notifying everyone they were nearing their destination, and they hastily separated.

"Are we nearly there?" Rey called, finally taking her focus off the little droid as she stood and started walking through the ship.

"Yup," Poe answered quickly as he ducked into to cockpit. 

Rey looked at Finn and fixed him with an amused smile. Finn rubbed the back of his neck and tried to ignore the blush that flared to life over his face. They both swayed as the ship came out of hyperspace.

"I'm going to set us down outside the main settlement," Poe called from the cockpit. Snow flurried outside the windshield through a dark sky. "Here we go," Poe sighed.

**|.|.|.|**

Kijimi was dark, freezing and hostile. Finn, Poe, and Rey pulled their jackets around them tightly as they headed for the main settlement. C-3PO trailed after them, covered up by his own jacket to blend in. They were shocked at just how many First Order troopers were already on the ground, scouring the main settlement when they arrived. Poe pressed himself against the wall of a building and motioned for everyone to follow suit. 

Slowly, they sneaked about the town, trying to find an alleyway that wasn't crawling with First Order troops. They stopped at a corner and Poe peeked his head around it, immediately feeling the cold barrel of a blaster against his temple. Finn stepped forward instantly to protect him and Poe raised his hand, trying to keep Finn back and out of the line of fire.

"I never thought you'd be stupid enough to come back," a voice said angrily as a lithe, helmeted figure stepped out from the darkness. They still held the barrel of their blaster firmly to Poe's head. 

Poe raised his hands higher and he felt Finn step closer, his torso brushing against his raised hand. He pushed Finn back again gently with his fingers, trying to keep him safe. 

"What is going on?" Finn asked, tension threatening to strangle the little corner of Kijimi they found themselves in. 

"This is Zorii," Poe explained tersely, tilting his head in the direction of the helmeted figure.

"I never wanted to see you again," Zorii said, pressing the blaster harder against Poe's temple.

"Can we just talk about this?" Poe asked, pushing his jacket's large hood off his head. He stepped away from the barrel of the blaster and faced Zorii, hands raised. "We could really use your help. I need to see Babu Frik."

"Babu?" Zorri asked, blaster still pointed at Poe's chest.

"We gotta override this droid's programming," Poe explained, hooking a thumb over his shoulder at C-3PO. "It's _important_ , Zorii."

"Babu only works for the crew and that's not you anymore," Zorii responded.

"What crew?" Rey demanded.

"Oh, what a surprise! He never mentioned it? He used to -- "

"No, no," Poe interjected frantically.

"Your friend's old job was running spice for us," Zorii continued, ignoring Poe's protests.

Finn's eyes went wide. "You were a spice runner?" He smirked at Poe, amusement in his voice.

"Didn't we _all_ do other things before we met?" Poe asked, spinning around to look at Finn and Rey. 

"I'm still digging out of the hole you left me in when you joined the Resistance," Zorii said angrily, blaster still leveled at Poe. Zorii's helmeted head tilted to the side, studying Rey carefully as she stepped out from the shadows. "You're the one the First Order is looking for."

Without hesitation, Rey rushed forward and used the staff she was carrying to knock Zorii off her feet. Zorii landed on the cold, cobbled street with a grunt. Rey pressed the staff to Zorii's chest roughly. "We could really use your help," she said, lifting the staff a bit. 

Zorii was silent for a beat, staring up at Rey from the snow-covered ground. "You, I like. I'm in, I'll help. Let's get going."

Rey extended a hand and helped Zorii up. "Thank you," she whispered with a smile. 

Zorii nodded and peeked around the corner before she started leading the way through the dark alleys of Kijimi, Finn and Poe trailing behind her and Rey.

"Poe Dameron, spice runner," Finn chuckled quietly as he jostled Poe's shoulder with his own.

"You're never gonna let me live this down, are you," Poe groaned.

"Absolutely not." Finn grinned and took Poe's hand in his, linking their fingers together as they passed through a particularly dark section of an alleyway. "I want to hear _all_ the stories you have from your days as a seedy criminal," Finn laguhed.

"Oh, Gods," Poe sighed, rolling his eyes.

Zorii stepped into a crowded bar and lead them down a back staircase, into a small basement. She made quick work of introducing Babu Frik to everyone, the tiny Anzellan greeting them excitedly. He made quick work of hooking C-3PO up to different pieces of equipment, and before long he was ready to get to work.

"Could be a little... uncomfortable. You ready?" Zorii asked, translating for Babu.

C-3PO was silent for a moment before he turned his head toward Poe. "If this mission fails, it was all for nothing. All we've done. All this time," he said, recalling Poe's words from earlier. 

Poe gave him a tight smile. "We appreciate you doing this, 3PO." He reached over and gripped the droid's wrist.

"I am happy to help. For Chewbacca," C-3PO responded.

"We should let Babu get to work," Zorii said, glancing out the small window of the workshop near the stairs. "Want to help me keep an eye on the place?"

Poe glanced around the shop and then pointed at himself, a questioning look on his face. Zorii just nodded before strutting back up the stairs.

"I'm gonna go -- " Poe trailed off, pointing behind himself toward the stairs.

Finn and Rey just nodded, turning their attention back to Babu Frik as he worked on C-3PO.

**|.|.|.|**

Snow fell over the rooftop Poe and Zorii sat on, watching over the bar Babu's workshop was in. Poe tugged his jacket around his body tighter and tried his hardest not to shiver. "What happened here? I mean, place was always rough but this," Poe gestured down to the street, First Order troops marching through town, "This is new."

"First Order took over a long time ago," Zorii said with a hint of sadness. "You were already long gone, though." Zorii slid the visor of her helmet up, finally revealing her eyes. "A lot changed after you left," she whispered. "Doesn't matter now. I'm leaving. Got a way outta here and I'm not looking back." She pulled something out of a pocket on her suit and held it up. "First Order Captain's Medallion. It'll get me free passage anywhere I want to go."

Poe stared at the medallion in awe.

"You wanna go with me?" Zorii asked.

Poe's expression softened and he glanced down at the fluffy snow carpeting the rooftop. "I can't walk out on this war. Not now, not 'till it's over. Someone's gotta keep up the fight. Everyone's so afraid, it's like they've given up."

"You don't believe that." Zorii shook her head. "You wouldn't have left us, wouldn't still be fighting, if you did. They win by making you think you're alone, outnumbered," she said softly.

Poe looked up at her, meeting her gaze. He smiled softly and nodded.

"Besides, I can't help but notice that you're _not_ alone. Who's the -- "

"Rey's a friend!"

"The guy you wouldn't let me within three feet of down there," Zorii went on, laughing.

Poe bit his lower lip and glanced down at the bar. "He's Finn," he answered simply, smile blooming over his face as he said Finn's name.

"You always did have a soft spot for the brave, determined ones, huh?" Zorii teased.

Poe tossed a handful of loose snow at her. "You weren't brave so much as angry and reckless," he chuckled.

"Whatever you gotta tell yourself, Dameron," Zorii laughed as she slid her visor back down.

A loud rumbling caught their attention and they looked up, north of the bar they were watching. A First Order Destroyer was landing on the outskirts of the town. They both got to their feet quickly and scrambled to get off the roof.

"We gotta go!" Poe called down the stairs as he and Zorii finally made it back to Babu's workshop.

Finn and Rey glanced up from where they were carefully watching Babu finish up with C-3PO. "What's wrong?" Finn asked.

Rey stood slowly, her eyes going wide. "Chewie's here," she said, walking through the small workshop to look out the window. 

"Are you sure?" Finn asked, trailing after Rey, leaning down next to her to glance out the small window.

"I'm sure," Rey said confidently.

"A Destroyer just landed. He must be on it," Poe offered.

"Are you finished, Babu?" Zorii called through the workshop.

The mechanic answered affirmatively and C-3PO sat forward, his eyes flickering as he finally translated the coordinates on the dagger.

"What now?" Finn asked, glancing from Poe to Rey.

"We go get Chewie," they answered in unison. 

Zorii grabbed Poe's arm before he could leave the basement. "Your friend is on that Destroyer?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." Poe nodded. "I gotta go, we need to go get him."

Zorii pulled the Captain's Medallion out of her pocket and offered it to Poe. "You need it more than I do," she reasoned.

Poe took the Medallion in his hand carefully. "Are you sure?" 

Zorii nodded silently. 

"I could kiss you," Poe laughed.

"We stopped doing that a long time ago. I don't think I'm the one you _really_ want to kiss anymore anyway," Zorii teased.

Poe blushed and took her hand, squeezing gently before he jogged up the stairs, trailing after Rey and Finn as they headed out into the cold, dark streets of Kijimi.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe slipped the Captain's Medallion into a slot on the dashboard of the old ship and waited for any response over their communications systems as they approached the Destroyer. When they were greeted officially and granted access, Poe glanced over his shoulder and grinned at Finn and Rey, giving them a thumbs up. "Told you it would work," he gloated.

Finn and Rey rolled their eyes, remembering how the pilot had fretted all the way back to the ship through the snow. 

Poe landed carefully on the Destroyer's hangar and shut the ship down. "Any real plan here or -- "

"Blast anything not Wookiee shaped?" Finn suggested.

"I like it, easy to remember," Poe said with a roguish grin. He clapped Finn on the shoulder and passed him a blaster.

They lowered the ramp of the ship and were immediately met by two troopers. Finn and Poe opened fire, clearing the area before they all stepped off the ship, glancing about the Destroyer's hangar. They ran across the large, open space and found a door, beyond it a series of long hallways.

Rey stopped as they passed the first section of hallway that branched off in a different direction. "Kylo Ren is here, he has the dagger," she whispered, all the color draining from her face. "Get Chewie, I'll meet back up with you after."

"No, Rey, it's too risky. We should stick together," Poe countered.

"I'll be all right, I promise." Rey nodded to Finn once before she headed off down the other hallway. "Chewie's not far!" She called as she disappeared from view. 

"Great," Poe groused.

Finn took a deep breath and shot Poe an exasperated look. "Let's just go get Chewie."

Poe nodded and they took off down the hall, firing as they encountered more troopers. They fought their way down the winding hallways of the Destroyer for what seemed like an eternity until they found Chewbacca, locked away in a small chamber. Poe felt like he was going to be sick when they found him kneeling, chained to the floor. Chewbacca bellowed happily when he saw them.

"Of course we came for you," Poe said as he and Finn rushed through the chamber to Chewbacca, undoing his shackles.

"Rey's here too, she's getting the dagger," Finn explained as he helped Chewbacca to his feet.

The Wookiee grunted a few times and Poe stopped. "The Falcon?" he asked, turning to face Chewbacca. "They have the Falcon? _Here_?"

"How?" Finn asked.

"Pasaana. Chewie said another First Order ship must have picked it up after we left." Poe looked up at Chewbacca. "You know where it is?"

Chewbacca nodded and took a few steps through the chamber, snatching his Bowcaster off a table. He gestured for Finn and Poe to follow him before he stepped out into the hall. 

The three fought their way deeper into the Destroyer and Chewbacca roared as they neared the end of the hall. A communications room sat before them with a wide window overlooking a second, smaller hangar. They fell back against a wall for cover and Chewbacca nodded to the window in the communications room. Sure enough, from where they stood, the Falcon was just visible down in the smaller hangar.

Poe stepped out from the safety of the wall and ran to the window almost immediately. Blaster fire erupted through the room as he crossed the threshold. He tried to duck, but he wasn't quick enough. A shot hit him and he screamed as he was knocked backward, hitting the ground roughly.

"Poe!" Finn's heart jumped into his throat as he watched Poe's limp body hit the ground. He took off, leaving the cover of the wall immediately.

Chewbacca ran after him, firing at the troopers who came out from around the corner. He roared triumphantly as they hit the ground. 

Finn dropped to his knees when he reached Poe. Carefully, he grabbed the pilot and turned him over where he lay on the floor. He finally sucked in a breath when Poe's eyes fluttered open and he smiled at Finn. "Are you okay?" Finn whispered.

Poe hissed and clutched his arm. "Just my arm, I'll live.

Finn gently ran his hand through Poe's curls. "Don't ever do something that stupid ever again," he whispered seriously.

"No promises," Poe laughed, wincing as Finn adjusted him in his arms.

Behind them, Chewbacca roared loudly. They looked up and found a group of troopers descending on the communications room. Finn sighed as he and Chewbacca set their weapons down and slid them across the floor to the troopers. Orders were barked at them and Finn gingerly helped Poe to his feet.

"You really okay?" Finn whispered as he helped Poe stand up straight. His hand hovered over the blaster wound on Poe's arm and he grimaced.

"I'll be okay," Poe reassured. "Believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've been shot."

"That's definitely not making me feel better," Finn hissed.

Poe didn't get a chance to respond before a trooper marched over and grabbed him violently, pulling him from Finn's arms. He cried out as the trooper gripped his arm around his blaster wound and jerked him forward to place handcuffs on him.

"Hey! Don't touch him again, I'll -- "

A trooper slammed the butt of his blaster into Finn's back to shut him up and Chewbacca roared, trying to free himself. Their short outburst was quickly quelled as they were both forced into cuffs. They were marched through more hallways at blaster point, Finn and Poe never taking their eyes off one another. Finally, they were herded into a small boiler room of sorts and lined up against a wall. No one spoke as the troopers fell back and seemed to be waiting for something. 

Poe tried to breathe steadily as he stood beside Finn, his mind racing. There were so many things he wanted to ask Finn, so many things he wanted to tell him. He'd waited too long, he hadn't listened to Leia like he should have. _Leia_. The thought that he'd never see her again nearly knocked him to his knees. He glanced over at Finn and a thousand things wanted to escape from his mouth at once. "What were you gonna tell Rey before, on Pasaana?" was what finally came out, surprising even himself.

"Really?" Finn hissed, looking at him incredulously.

"Sorry, this a bad time?" Poe countered. He wanted to lean over and kiss Finn, to tell him that he was the best thing that had ever happened to him, but he couldn't. He couldn't confess his the full extent of his feelings to the most wonderful man he'd ever met under the dangerous gaze of the First Order. He didn't know what to do other than have a slight meltdown.

"There's nothing _else_ you'd like to talk about?" Finn gaped.

"Of course there is but I... _I can't do it like this_ ," Poe whispered, his gaze dropping to the floor. 

Finn didn't have time to respond, General Hux strolled into the small room before he could open his mouth. He and Poe both took deep breaths and stood up straighter, waiting to meet their fate. To their astonishment, Hux turned around and shot the troopers who were holding them captive.

"I'm your spy," Hux declared smartly.

Finn stared at him, brows furrowed. " _You_?" 

"I knew it!" Poe said excitedly.

"You absolutely did _not_ ," Finn argued, turning to face Poe.

"I had a suspicion!" Poe countered.

Finn squinted at him and shook his head. "You did not."

Chewbacca rolled his eyes.

"You need to get out of here, before we're all discovered." Hux motioned for them to walk out of the small room. They marched down the hallways once more, Hux following after them, blaster leveled at their backs. He directed them through the Destroyer to the Falcon.

"Why?" Finn asked as Hux entered a code on a keypad and the doors to the hangar slid open. 

"He'll never stop. Nothing is enough, not anymore," Hux explained. "No one's safe." He passed his blaster to Finn. "Shoot me in the arm at least, make it look like you escaped."

Finn smiled and quickly pulled the trigger, shooting the General-turned-spy in the leg. The man fell to the ground with a gasp. Finn laid his hands on Poe's shoulders and pushed him through the hangar doors, ignoring Hux's cries. "Let's go!" Finn said excitedly. He wrapped his arm around Poe's waist and kept him close as they crossed the small hangar to the Millennium Falcon.

Chewbacca howled as they reached the ship and Finn looked over, spotting Rey running toward them, C-3PO and BB-8 following her closely. He passed Poe off to Chewbacca with a nod and told the Wookiee to take care of him and get the ship started. Chewbacca carefully lead Poe onto the Falcon while Finn waited on the ramp for Rey, pulling her inside safely, the droids stumbling in after her just as they took off. The ramp closed behind them and they collapsed onto the floor together, Rey pulling Finn into a tight hug.

|.|.|.|

Poe lay in a bunk aboard the Falcon, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to pry the fabric of his shirt away from his blaster wound. Warm hands landed atop his gently and he opened his eyes, smiling when he found Finn standing over him.

"Here, let me help you," Finn said quietly. He sat down on the edge of the bunk and carefully took Poe's arm in his hands. BB-8 chirped at his feet and he grabbed the first-aid kit the droid offered helpfully. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of him." Finn smiled sweetly down at the droid. BB-8 chirped a thanks before it rolled off to find Rey. 

"Did Chewie get the coordinates from the dagger into the navigation?" Poe asked as he laid his head back.

"He did, don't worry. We're headed to Kef Bir now." Finn carefully balanced the first-aid kit in his lap and popped it open.

"Kef Bir?" Poe asked, confused. "I thought we needed to go to Exegol."

"We do. Coordinates on the dagger lead to Kef Bir." Finn shrugged as he flicked a bottle of bacta open. "This is probably gonna sting." He took Poe's hand in his and proceeded to pour bacta over the pilot's blaster wound.

Poe squeezed his eyes shut and hissed, gripping Finn's hand hard. "What's on Kef Bir?" he asked through gritted teeth as the stinging started to subside. 

Finn shook his head and took a sterile cloth from the first-aid kit. "I don't know." His voice was small, expression uncertain as he wiped carefully at Poe's wound.

"What's wrong?" Poe tilted his head down, trying to meet Finn's eyes. 

"You got shot, Poe." Finn met his gaze, unshed tears clouding his vision.

"Hey, hey, I'm okay. He hit me in the arm. I'll be good as new in a couple days." Poe sat up in the bunk and leaned in closer to Finn. 

"This time," Finn said shakily. "When you hit the ground I couldn't... I thought... Poe I thought I lost you."

Poe leaned his forehead against Finn's and shut his eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He reached up and laid his hand gently on the back of Finn's neck. "I'm sorry. I'm still here. I'm gonna be fine. I'm _here_." His heart thudded in his chest, the promise he made Leia echoing through his mind, the realization that he could have died before he kept it hitting him hard. He took a deep breath and held it a moment, trying to calm himself. "Finn, I love you," he whispered. "This isn't how I wanted to tell you, or _where_ but... you have to know. I love you."

Finn closed the space between them immediately and pressed a tender kiss to Poe's lips. He followed with another, and then another. He leaned in closer and Poe laid back in the bunk. "I love you," Finn whispered against Poe's lips before he kissed him again. 

Poe reached up and cupped the back of Finn's head as he deepened the kiss. Finn grasped the front of his shirt tightly in his hands as he laid down onto Poe's chest. Poe gasped and winced, ending the kiss abruptly. He carefully moved his arm out from under Finn's torso.

"Sorry," Finn murmured, sitting up. He gingerly grabbed Poe's arm once more and looked over the wound.

"I'm going to be fine," Poe soothed. "We might have to wait to progress to anything a little more... strenuous, but I'm going to be just fine." He gave Finn a wide smile, looking up at him from his reclined position in the bunk, waggling his eyebrows.

"You're lucky I love you, you're kind of a pain in the ass." Finn leaned down and kissed him again.

Poe chuckled against Finn's lips. "You love me," he whispered.

Finn rolled his eyes and sighed, sitting back up. "I'm starting to have doubts." He couldn't hide the delighted grin that spread over his face. He leaned down and pecked a quick kiss to Poe's lips. "We should clean this again before we bandage it," Finn suggested, pointing at Poe's wound. "We should find something to bandage it with too," he added.

"Whatever you say, Doc," Poe replied cheekily.

Finn squinted at him. "Did you hit your head on that Destroyer?" he asked smartly.

Poe laughed and leaned his head back in the bunk. "Gods, I love you," he whispered.

"Stay put," Finn instructed, caressing Poe's face. "I'm going to find something to bandage you up with." 

Poe just smiled, silent, as he watched Finn wander off through the ship.

Finn walked around a corner and spotted Rey furiously working on a part of the Falcon, a panel of the floor tossed aside. "Everything okay?" he asked as he stepped closer.

"Landing gear needs some work," Rey replied curtly.

"Are _you_ okay?" Finn stepped closer and peered into the floor, wires tangled around Rey's hands.

Rey's expression turned from one of concentration to sadness, concern. "I don't know," she confessed quietly.

Finn stared at her, his brow furrowed.

"When I fought Kylo Ren... I wanted to kill him. I _wanted_ to. I could feel that darkness creeping over me. I had to fight so hard to control it and I'm scared, Finn. What if I can't next time? What if I lose control?" Rey stood and looked at Finn, tears brimming in her eyes.

Finn pulled her into a tight hug. "You won't," he murmured. "You're one of the strongest people I've ever met, Rey. You always choose the right path. I have faith in you."

Rey leaned back in Finn's arms and smiled at him. "Thank you," she whispered, leaning back into Finn's embrace. "I just can't wait for this to be over. To find Exegol and just... end all of this," she sighed.

"I know," Finn agreed. 

Turbulence struck the Falcon hard, knocking Finn and Rey back. They separated and Rey reached out, bracing herself against the wall as she started walking through the ship. "What's going on, Chewie?" she called.

A loud, anxious series of roars came from the cockpit. Rey's eyes went wide. "Chewie says we're coming out of light speed too quickly. I still don't know what's wrong with the landing gear. This is probably going to be a rough landing," she winced.

"I gotta warn Poe!" Finn was off, stumbling through the ship as more turbulence hit. 

Rey turned her attention back to the wires sticking out of the floor. She got back to work trying to right whatever was wrong with the landing gear before they needed it.

**|.|.|.|**

The Falcon skidded erratically over the ground on Kef Bir, dirt and grass flying through the air around it. Rey and Chewbacca did their best to soften the impact and slow the Falcon down. Finn tucked himself in the bunk beside Poe and shut his eyes just willing it all to be over soon, Poe cradled snugly in his arms. Eventually, Rey and Chewbacca were able to maneuver the Falcon to a stop and Rey hopped out of her seat, eager to check on her friends. She found them huddled together in the bunk, both men taking deep breaths as they whispered to one another.

"You guys okay?" Rey asked quietly, a giddy smile on her face.

"We're fine," Finn answered bashfully.

"Chewie okay?" Poe asked, his face turning red as he avoided meeting Rey's eyes.

"He's fine." Rey nodded. "We're going to get out, take a look around," She tilted her head over toward the ramp, "You wanna come?"

Finn looked at Poe and shrugged. "We'll be right behind you."

Rey smiled as she walked off and started lowering the Falcon's ramp. "C-3PO stay here with BB-8 and watch the Falcon, would you?"

"Certainly," C-3PO responded happily.

Kef Bir was chilly, winds whipping over the landscape, kicking up rough waves in the ocean that stretched on as far as the eye could see. Finn kept an arm around Poe's waist, guiding him carefully down the ramp. They came to a stop behind Rey and Chewbacca and took in their surroundings. In the distance they could see movement, something cresting a hill and coming toward them. Finn tightened his grasp on Poe's waist as they waited to see what was headed their way.

A group of people atop Orbaks came to a stop in front of them and Chewbacca roared in warning. A woman in the front of the group held up her hands. "I'm Jannah," she explained calmly. "We received a transmission from Babu Frik telling us to expect you. We weren't anticipating such a... dramatic arrival." She smiled and glanced at the Falcon.

"Our landing gear is... having some trouble," Rey explained.

"There's a wreck not far from here, I could take you to it to look for parts," Jannah offered.

Rey smiled and nodded at the woman. She stepped forward and shook her hand, introducing herself and her friends. Jannah explained that she and her people had established a settlement not far from their location and they'd be happy to help them fix the Falcon up. 

"Thank you, again," Rey said as she looked up at Jannah on her Orbak, following the woman as she led them across the hilly landscape. 

"Babu Frik told us you could be trusted, that we had _similar interests_ ," Jannah explained. "Anyone fighting against the First Order is welcome here."

"How did you all end up here?" Poe asked.

"We were brought here, on assignment." Jannah shifted on her Orbak and looked at the people who were with her.

Finn glanced at Poe, concerned. "Brought here?" he asked.

"We were Storm Troopers," Jannah replied evenly.

"You were?" Finn asked excitedly. Jannah gave him a curious look and he floundered for a moment. "I was too," he explained, eyes wide.

Jannah gave him a sympathetic look. "Then you know this is better than the life we had before."

Finn just nodded. Poe slid his good arm around Finn's waist and squeezed gently. "You okay?" he whispered.

"I'm good," Finn whispered back with a small, private smile for Poe.

"There it is," Jannah said as they stopped on the top of a low a hill. She pointed down to the ship wreckage she had mentioned before. "It's older, but there are still some usable parts down there."

Rey glanced at Chewbacca and nodded. They all carefully made their way down the hill, the grass slippery from the damp sea air, and got to work scouring over the wreckage for anything useful. Rey wandered off, near the cliff's edge, and spotted more wreckage out at sea. She squinted and tried to make out what it was. Her eyes went wide as she felt something, and she instantly knew what she was looking at. 

"That's Death Star wreckage, isn't it?" Rey called, pointing to the massive heap of wreckage out in the choppy waters.

"It is," Jannah called back. "It's too dangerous to head out there now. You should wait until winds die down! You can take a skimmer and go out then."

Rey stepped closer to the cliff's edge and stared out at the wreckage. "I have to get out there!"

Finn and Poe moved in Rey's direction quickly, shaking their heads. "We can come back," Poe reasoned. "The water's too choppy, it's too dangerous now."

"The information we've been looking for is out there! I can feel... something. It's strong. If we want to find Exegol I have to go out there!" Rey walked to the cliff's edge and looked over. The waters below were rough, waves crashing wildly against the cliffs. Skimmers bobbed in the waters below. "I have to do this!" she called, taking off down the rocky cliff side sin the direction of the skimmer.

Finn and Poe took off after her, running to the cliff's edge. They spotted Rey down below, boarding a skimmer. Finn was about to call out to her when a small craft flew over them, landing out on the wreckage at sea. 

Rey took one look at the ship and then snapped her attention back to Finn and Poe. "Stay here!" she called as she loosened the skimmer's ties and it began drifting into open waters.

"Rey!" Finn called from the shoreline frantically.

"It's Kylo Ren!" Rey screamed over the crashing waves. "Stay back!"

Finn tried to move forward but Poe wrapped his arm around his torso, keeping him from leaving. "We'd just slow her down. If we even made it." Poe nodded out to the raging sea. "I doubt those skimmers could transport two in these waters and I'm not letting you go alone."

Finn swallowed a lump in his throat as he watched Rey's skimmer bob through the water. He let out a sigh of relief when he finally spotted her climbing onto the wreckage. "We can't just leave her."

"We're not. We need to fix up the Falcon so we can get her out of here when this is all over. Come on." Poe took Finn's hand in his and started heading back to the wreckage they'd been inspecting.

Finn sighed as he turned and began following Poe back to the ship wreckage. "Let's hurry," he urged.

Poe nodded and squeezed Finn's hand reassuringly.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe and Chewbacca headed for the cockpit once they reached the Falcon, Finn and Jannah heading off to the back of the ship with the spare parts they'd gathered. Poe fired the ship up and started looking over logs and charts, trying to figure out what their next move should be while Finn and Jannah worked on the landing gear.

Loud winds roared outside the ship and a wave of uncertainty hit Finn. He hated that Rey was out on her own, but he knew Poe was right. Whatever was on that wreckage, it was for Rey to find. He scowled at the spare parts he dumped out on the floor. Jannah looked at him curiously. 

"You all right?" 

Finn's head shot up and he gave Jannah an apologetic smile. "Yeah, fine."

"I'm gonna get us up, over the Death Star wreckage. We can keep an eye on Rey that way," Poe called from the cockpit.

Finn smiled to himself, giving silent thanks for Poe Dameron. They made it to Death Star wreckage quickly and Finn walked through the Falcon to the cockpit, staring out the windshield. He, Poe, and Chewbacca watched, concerned, as Rey and Kylo Ren finally met on the wreckage. Rey immediately pulled her lightsaber, the two fighting as the waves struck the wreckage around them. They fought for what seemed like an eternity before Rey hit Kylo Ren and he collapsed. 

They watched from the Falcon, hearts pounding as Rey ran down the stretch of wreckage and climbed into Ren's ship. She took off before they could even attempt to contact her.

Poe looked back at the wreckage and saw Ren moving, trying to get to his feet. "We have to go, the First Order will be here soon."

Finn followed his gaze and he inhaled sharply. "What about Rey?"

"We'll find her. We should head back to the base, fill Leia in. We can try to track Rey down from there too." Poe punched a few buttons on the Falcon's dashboard and the ship climbed higher. He reached over and took Finn's hand in his. "We'll find her," he repeated softly. He flipped one last switch and they were thrown into light seed.

Finn leaned over and pressed a kiss to Poe's temple. "I'm gonna go tell Jannah we're making a quick detour, help her fix the landing gear. We'll need it." He turned and walked through the ship and found Jannah carefully inspecting the components Rey had been fussing with beneath a floor panel earlier.

"Your friend all right?" Jannah asked as she spliced two wires together.

"She will be," Finn answered. "We're going to have to go to Ajan Kloss for a bit, regroup." He picked up a spare part and inspected it closely.

Jannah nodded and then looked at him seriously. "Were you really a Storm Trooper?" she asked quietly.

"I was," Finn answered simply.

"How did you escape?"

Finn smiled and glanced back toward the cockpit. "Poe helped me."

Jannah just nodded slowly. 

"What about you?" Finn asked, passing the spare part to Jannah when she motioned for it.

"We rebelled and they abandoned us on Kef Bir, I guess they thought we wouldn't survive. They took us on a mission and we refused to fire on a group of civilians. All of us, the whole squad. It wasn't a decision, really, it was like -- "

"An instinct," Finn cut in. "A feeling."

"A feeling," Jannah whispered in agreement.

"The Force," Finn offered confidently. "The Force brought me here. Brought me to Rey. And Poe."

"You say that like you're sure it's real," Jannah said.

Finn smiled confidently. "Sometimes you just have to have faith,"

Jannah smiled back at him and nodded. She attached the part he'd handed her to some exposed wires and components whirred to life beneath them. "Faith, huh?" she chuckled.

"Faith," Finn smiled.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe winced as he engaged the Falcon's landing gear when they made it back to the base. He let out a sigh of relief as it responded normally and they were able to land without incident. He clapped Chewbacca on the shoulder before he wandered farther into the ship to find Finn. They told Jannah she would be welcome at the base, and to make herself comfortable while they filled everyone in on what had happened since they left.

Poe strolled out of the Falcon and finally set foot back on Ajan Kloss, the jungle a welcome relief to his eyes. Finn linked his arm around Poe's good elbow and fell into step beside him as they made their way through the base. A lieutenant approached them, her expression unreadable.

"We need to see the General," Poe said quickly, scanning the crowd for the woman in question.

"Poe," the lieutenant said, her voice gentle.

Poe continued to look through the crowds, pulling free of Finn's grasp as he searched. Finn continued walking for a moment before he turned back, concerned when he realized Poe wasn't at his side any longer.

"We have important information, we _have_ to see the General," Poe said slowly as he turned, still looking for Leia.

"Poe, you -- "

"I don't have time, we need to see her," Poe insisted, irritation rising in his voice.

"Dameron... she's gone," the lieutenant said finally, her face falling as she got the news out.

Poe's world tilted. He couldn't breathe, it felt like an ocean roared in his ears. Tears pricked his eyes, threatened to spill over onto his cheeks. A terrible heat flooded his chest.

Finn inched closer, laid his hand around Poe's waist. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"General Organa has passed," the lieutenant supplied before she wiped her eyes hastily and turned, leaving them to deal with her own grief.

Finn pulled Poe to his chest immediately, his arms wrapping tightly around his torso. "Poe?" he whispered as he cradled the back of the man's head in his hand.

Poe was silent. A loud roar tore through the jungle and his knees buckled. Chewbacca. The tears finally spilled, running down Poe's cheeks as he listened to the Wookiee, off in the jungle somewhere, mourn one of his oldest friends. Finn's arms tightened around him, keeping him upright. Poe felt like they stood there in the middle of the base for hours as bodies buzzed by them, the native birds chirping. He finally breathed, gasping in air hungrily as his vision blurred.

"You okay?" Finn whispered as Poe shifted in his embrace, standing up straighter on his own two legs.

"No," Poe rasped, resting his head on Finn's shoulder.

"You want to go find Chewie?" Finn asked, rubbing Poe's back soothingly.

After a moment, Poe nodded gently. Finn slowly released Poe and linked their hands together, leading the way through the base, into the borders of the jungle, seeking out their faithful friend.

**|.|.|.|**

Darkness enveloped Ajan Kloss, the base quiet as everyone gathered together to mourn and remember Leia. Maz and Chewbacca sat around a campfire with a some other Resistance members, telling stories about their princess, laughing and smiling as they spoke.

Finn and Poe broke away from the group later in the night and made their way to the peaceful cave Leia had claimed as her quarters, her body laying to rest there beneath a soft blanket. Finn wrapped an arm tightly around Poe's waist as they walked in, prepared to hold him up if necessary. Poe inhaled sharply as they entered the dimly lit cave and it all became unequivocally real. He rested his head on Finn's shoulder as they came to a stop beside Leia's unmoving body.

Finn tilted his head back just enough to press a tender kiss to Poe's forehead. "You want some time alone?" he asked softly.

Poe slung his arm around Finn's waist. "No," Poe breathed. "She meant a lot to both of us."

Finn nodded solemnly. "She did. She was amazing." He smiled as memories of the remarkable woman drifted through his mind. "I didn't know her long, but I'm a better person for having known her at all."

Poe hummed thoughtfully. "She made me promise her I'd tell you how I felt about you, that I love you," he said with a smile.

Finn laughed softly. "One more thing to be grateful to her for."

"She'd be highly amused that I told you on the Falcon," Poe said, sliding his hand up Finn's torso, resting it over the man's heart. 

Finn let out a bark of laughter. He grabbed Poe's hand off his chest and brought it to his lips. "She'd still be proud of you," he said, pressing a kiss to the back of Poe's hand.

"I hope so," Poe murmured.

"Her last action was to make you General, Poe. She was always proud of you."

Poe sighed. "I wish I could talk to her one last time. I don't know how to do what she did. I don't know if I'm ready."

"None of us were," a soft voice said in the entrance of the cave.

Poe and Finn looked up, surprised to find Lando entering the cave.

"Luke, Han, Leia, me. Who's ever ready?" Lando went on. He glanced over and offered Finn and Poe a small smile "I got word from C-3PO," he explained as he walked through the small space and came to a stop beside them. 

"How'd you do it? Defeat an empire with almost... nothing?" Poe asked softly.

"We had each other. That's how we won," Lando answered, a fond smile settling on his face. He stepped forward and laid his hand over Leia's where they laid clasped together beneath the blanket. He shut his eyes and stood silently for a moment before he turned and headed for the cave entrance again. "She knew what she was doing. She must have had a great deal of faith in you," Lando said to Poe with a smile. 

Tears rolled down Poe's face once more and he leaned his head back on Finn's shoulder. "I can't do this alone," he whispered after a stretch of silence. "I want you to be in command with me, Finn."

Finn leaned back and searched Poe's face. "Are you sure?" he asked slowly. 

"There's no one else I'd trust with this." Poe stepped out of Finn's embrace and stood before him, grabbing his hands gently. "What do you say, General?"

Finn stared at him for a moment before a smile worked its way over his lips. "I say I'm in, General." 

Poe smiled, stepping closer to Finn. He laid a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth and took one last look back at Leia's still form. "We should get to work, it's what she'd want us to do."

Finn nodded, taking Poe's hand in his. They walked together out of the cave, back to the center of the base.

**|.|.|.|**

A flurry of activity greeted Finn and Poe when they stepped back out into the base. Resistance members darted back and forth, and they finally spied Rose in the middle of it all, calling for someone to find a specific cable. They stepped through the chaos carefully.

"What's going on?" Poe asked, confusion in his voice.

"C-3PO said the driod you guys found on Pasaana has information. If I can find the right cable we can hook it up and try to take a look at whatever its got stored in its memory banks." Rose took the cable someone handed her and she tried to plug it into the green-and-white droid. It clicked in correctly and she let out a sigh of relief.

"What's it say?" Finn asked, he and Poe following Rose over to a set of holo-screens.

"Its displaying a map," Rose said as she studied the screen carefully.

"It's Exegol," Finn said excitedly, pointing down into the corner of the screen, the planet's name flashing softly.

"Is this a live look at the planet's radar?" Poe asked, stepping closer to the screen.

"It should be," Rose said.

"That's Luke's old X-wing." Poe pointed to a marker moving across the screen, his eyes wide.

"Are you sure?" Finn asked.

Poe shot him an unimpressed look. "I'm sure."

"It's gotta be Rey." Finn smiled, staring at the screen. "She's showing us how to get there."

"We have coordinates! Let's get moving!" Poe smiled confidently at Finn. "I'll see you out there."

Finn leaned over and kissed Poe quickly. "Be safe."

Poe gave him one last smile before he jogged off in the direction of his X-wing.

**|.|.|.|**

Exegol was dark and imposing. It made Finn's skin crawl to think Rey was down on the ground somewhere, battling Kylo Ren and whatever other horrors called the planet home. Lightning strikes split the skies as the Resistance Fleet hovered in the air, trying to determine what ship from the vast Sith fleet to attack first. They weren't able to plan a full attack before the Sith fleet opened fire. Everyone scrambled to get out of the line of fire and regroup to stage their own attack.

"You see that Command ship north of you, Poe?" Finn asked over his communication device.

Poe stared through the windshield of his X-wing for a moment before he spotted the ship Finn was talking about. "What about it?" he called over his headset.

"That's the lead ship. We take that one out, they all fall."

"You sure?"

"I can feel it. That's the one."

Poe smiled to himself and nodded. "That's the one we attack people!" His instructions flowed from his headset to the rest of the Resistance fighters.

Finn stared out of a window on the ship he was on, glaring at the Command ship. "I've gotta get onto the ship. If we can take out the tower on its surface the whole fleet's defenses will fall. Rose and Jannah can go with me."

"Finn, no, we can do this in the air."

"I've gotta try. For Rey. For everyone. We've come this far."

Poe held his breath as he stared out at the ship Finn was on. He knew there was nothing he could do, Finn was going to do whatever he could to help his friends, fight against the First Order. He exhaled heavily and bit his bottom lip. "Finn, I -- "

"I know," Finn said softly before Poe could finish. "I'll see you soon."

Everything happened quickly after Finn, Rose and Jannah set foot on the Command ship. Chaos bloomed around them as the First Order scrambled to ramp up their attack. They fought back just as hard, and were able to take out the tower on the ship's surface. The fleet's defenses fell just as Rey soared overhead in Luke's X-wing. Finn cheered as she passed over them, joining the fight. Resistance reinforcements showed up just as the Command ship began to plummet to the planet's surface. 

Poe watched carefully as Resistance crew members began to jump from the Command ship to the safety of other Resistance ships. "Let's finish this and get the _hell_ out of here," he called over his headset.

"Poe, Finn and Jannah are still on the Command ship," Rose said frantically over her radio.

Poe's heart stopped. "I'm heading in to get them," he said, turning his head quickly, gaze settling on the smoldering Command ship.

"I've got this, kid," a cheerful voice called over the shared Resistance channel.

"Lando?" Poe smiled, glancing around until he spotted the Falcon. He watched as it swooped in expertly next to the Command ship, Finn and Jannah jumping in as soon as it was close enough. 

"Poe, we did it!"

Poe's eyes drifted closed as Finn's voice reached his ears. "We did it," he whispered, leaning his head back, sighing in relief. "Let's get out of here." The Sith fleet fell, destroyed and beaten, to the dying surface of Exegol. Poe smiled as he turned his ship from the spectacle and flicked a switch, sending his X-wing into light speed. 

**|.|.|.|**

Poe tore his helmet off the second his X-wing touched down on Ajan Kloss once more. He hopped down out of his ship and took off through the base, searching for the Millennium Falcon. Panic began to take root in his chest as he spun around in the middle of the base, trying to find Finn. He spotted him at last through the throngs of Resistance members, everyone embracing and celebrating. Poe took off, running in Finn's direction.

Tears streamed down Finn's face when he spotted Poe coming his way. "Told you I'd see you soon," he said through a wide grin, throwing his arms around Poe as the pilot all but slammed into him.

Poe reached up and grasped the back of Finn's neck. "Don't ever make me panic like that again," he mumbled, burying his face in the crook of Finn's neck.

"I wont," Finn chuckled. "I love you," he whispered, tightening his arms around Poe's torso.

Poe lifted his head and met Finn's gaze. He studied his smiling face for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed Finn tenderly. A whooping cheer went up behind them, startling them apart. They turned and smiled when the spotted Rey, laughing as she watched them. She jogged over and they instantly wrapped her in a warm hug, she and Poe linking hands around Finn's shoulders.

"It's done," Rey whispered, tears of joy streaking over her face.

"It's done," Finn agreed quietly.

"Any idea what we should do now?" Poe asked, laughter bubbling up from his lips.

Finn leaned his head back and looked at Rey and Poe, wild excitement in his eyes. "Whatever we want," he smiled.  
  


* * *

  
Finn laid back on his elbows with his eyes shut, surrounded by tall grass, letting the setting sun shine on his face. He smiled when he heard footsteps approaching him. He opened his eyes and found Poe standing above him, haloed by the sun. He grinned up at the pilot.

They'd been on Yavin 4 about two weeks. Poe had suggested they settle on his home planet, even if it was just for a while, to take a well earned break from everything they'd survived as Generals of the Resistance. Finn had stepped out of Poe's X-wing and immediately fallen in love with the place, the verdant jungle a beauty he'd never tire of. They rented a small place, not far from where Poe had grown up, and spent their days lounging about in the warm sun, enjoying the beautiful plants and interesting creatures that made themselves at home around their property. 

Poe stared down at Finn expectantly where he lounged in the grass out behind their house and Finn laughed. "What?" he asked through a lazy smile.

"I was just thinking I don't know if I've ever seen you so relaxed. I like it," Poe mused. He passed a small container to Finn and slowly sat down in the grass beside him. 

Finn opened the container and grinned. "More muffins?" he asked happily, reaching into the container and pulling out a large muffin, teeming with ripe berries. 

Poe beamed as he watched Finn take a bite. "Little old lady down the way said to expect more, her berry bushes did well this year." Poe reached over and grabbed a muffin out of the container, breaking a piece off and popping it in his mouth. 

"She's wonderful." Finn hummed happily as he took another bite.

"Couldn't ask for a better neighbor," Poe agreed.

Finn glanced over at him, squinting against the warm sunshine. "Does it... does it bother you that she calls me Mr. Dameron?" he asked uneasily.

Poe tilted his head to the side as he studied Finn. "Not if it doesn't bother you," he replied slowly.

Finn leaned over and kissed Poe tenderly. "Doesn't bother me at all," he whispered against Poe's lips.

Poe reached over and put his half-eaten muffin back in the container and then took Finn's face in his hands gently. "It suits you," he said warmly as he leaned over and kissed Finn back, lowering him down into the grass.

Finn smiled as his head rested back in the tall, soft grass, Poe above him.

**|.|.|.|**

Pale moonlight filtered into the room through an open window, draping itself across the bed in the middle of the room. Finn sat up, gasping as he woke, sweat beading over his bare shoulders. He buried his face in his hands for a moment as he tried to calm himself, remember where he was. The soft sheets rustled beside him and the lamp on the nightstand flicked on, casting a soft glow through the room.

"You okay?" Poe mumbled, sleep coating his words. He sat up and wrapped his arms around Finn's torso from behind, resting his chin over Finn's shoulder.

"I'm fine," Finn whispered, patting Poe's arm where it rested around his waist.

Poe angled his head down and pressed a kiss to the back of Finn's shoulder. "You sure?" he asked, lips ghosting over Finn's warm skin.

"Yeah." Finn took a steadying breath and looked out the window, took in the jungle that stretched out around their house. "Sometimes I just forget. That I'm here. With you. I wake up and for a split second I expect to see Phasma standing over me."

Poe hummed quietly, tightening his grasp on Finn. "I had nightmares after I was captured by the First Order," he confessed quietly, lips still pressed to Finn's shoulder.

Finn turned slightly in Poe's arms and stared at him. "You did?"

"Yeah. Still do sometimes. I don't think they'll ever go away but... they don't happen often anymore."

"What'd you do to make them go away?"

Poe smiled and met Finn's gaze. "I started thinking about better things before I fell asleep. I met this person, he's smart and funny and brave, _handsome_ , and I'd think of him." Poe grinned wide, eyes shining in the soft lamp light as he watched Finn blush. "Sometimes, when he wasn't around at night, I'd sleep with this jacket I gave him," he whispered.

Finn turned around and took Poe's face in his hands gently. "I love you," he whispered, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Poe's lips.

Poe slipped his arms up around Finn's neck and pulled him back down against the mattress with him. "I love you, too." He pillowed his head on Finn's chest, laid his hand gently over his stomach. "Try to go back to sleep," he murmured.

Finn hummed contentedly and shut his eyes, breathing in deep and even until he finally drifted off once more.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe sprawled out across the couch in the sitting room, the front windows open letting a warm breeze pass through the little house. He half-read his book, half-watched Finn where he sat at the desk across he room, replying to holo-vid messages they'd received from their friends. 

"How's Rose?" Poe asked, closing his book over his finger.

Finn turned in his chair. "She's good," he smiled. "Her diplomatic mission to Canto Bight is keeping her busy, but she seems happy. I think she's just relieved that she can still make a difference even though the fighting is over."

Poe nodded slowly. "Canto Bight's really improved since she got there," he mused. He shut his eyes and slid down lower on the couch, lying his head back against the arm. "Maybe we could take a vacation there soon. I'd love to see the wildlife preserve she established."

Finn walked across the room and dropped down on the couch beside Poe. "That's an idea," he murmured, leaning down to kiss Poe softly. "Who'd water the flowers out front while we were gone?"

Poe chuckled and laced his fingers with Finn's. "I'm sure if we asked nicely, the old woman down the road would make sure that they didn't die."

Finn leaned down and kissed Poe again, smiling against his lips. "Got it all planned out, huh?"

"Well, not all of it," Poe replied with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Some things are better left to spontaneity."

Finn laughed as he pressed a tender kiss to Poe's lips. A soft 'ding' from the desk drew his attention. He glanced back and saw the blinking light that indicated there was a new message. "Probably Jannah," he smiled. "She said she and Lando were going to try to visit soon."

Poe glanced over at the desk and then back at Finn. "Soon but not... now?"

Finn raised one eyebrow, staring down at Poe.

"If we're not having company tonight you could always take me upstairs," Poe suggested with a roguish grin.

Finn smirked at him. "Why would I want to do a thing like that?" he teased. He dipped his head back down and kissed Poe once more.

**|.|.|.|**

Poe walked through the dimly-lit house, on his way to the kitchen for a snack before he started readying himself for bed. He smiled when we walked into the kitchen and found Finn sitting cross-legged on the floor, BB-8 in front of him on a towel. A cup of tea sat on the floor beside Finn, steam wafting out of it. BB-8 chirped appreciatively as Finn dusted the appendage it held out. 

"Getting a bath, buddy?" Poe asked as he passed by them, heading to the old stove to make himself a cup of tea with the left-over water in the kettle. BB-8 trilled happily and nodded at Poe. "Gotta look respectable when Rey gets here, huh?" Poe chuckled as he dropped a tea bag into a mug and poured hot water over it. 

Finn smiled as he carefully inspected another one of the droid's appendages. "He's excited to see her." He looked over his shoulder at Poe and beamed.

Poe huffed out a small laugh and leaned back against the counter. "And you're not?" he asked teasingly. He brought the the cup of tea to his lips and took a sip.

Finn laughed and cocked his head to the side. "You got me there." He grabbed his own cup of tea off the floor and took a sip. "It'll be good to see her." He smiled warmly as he thought of his friend, her bright smile and easy demeanor.

Poe stared into his steaming cup of tea for a moment before he cleared his throat. "What, uh, what were you gonna tell her? When we were on Pasaana?" he asked quietly.

Finn's eyebrows shot up on his forehead and he patted BB-8 on the head before he got to his feet. "You still on that?" he asked with a playful smile as he dropped down into one of the chairs at their small kitchen table. 

Poe shrugged. "Sorry," he mumbled into his tea. "I just... I want you to know you can share things with me."

"I know that," Finn laughed. He stared over at Poe, eyes soft. "Poe, I know that," he repeated gently.

Poe let out a sigh of relief.

Finn studied him silently for a minute, leaning back in his chair. "I was gonna tell her that I understand. I believe. The Force... I didn't understand it all until that night, when we had the bonfire on Ajan Kloss. It felt like something... _clicked_ that night." He smiled at Poe and looked him in the eye. "It all made sense. I was meant to be there, to meet you, to be in that moment with you. I was meant to meet Rey. I could feel it, a sense of surety I didn't know before. I knew the whole galaxy had lined up to give me that moment, to bring me to you guys, to find the Resistance." Finn ducked his head and stared down at his hands on the table top. "To steal a TIE fighter with a brave, rebellious pilot I'd just met," he added softly. 

Poe walked through the kitchen silently and sat down in the chair beside Finn. He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to the corner of Finn's lips. "You still feel it?" he whispered.

"I do." Finn smiled at Poe as he leaned back in his seat. "I still feel like the Force is trying to tell me something, but I don't know." He shrugged, a melancholy smile on his face as he stared out the window into their backyard, the moon bright in the sky.

"Maybe you should ask Rey about it when she's here. See if she can train you," Poe suggested.

Finn let out a gentle laugh. "Sure, I'll ask Rey." He looked back at Poe and found the man smiling warmly at him, no hint of irony in his expression. "You think I should ask Rey to train me?" he whispered, leaning closer to Poe.

Poe reached over took Finn's hand in his. "Why not?" he asked softly. "Who better to help you figure it all out?"

Finn shrugged, his heart beating wildly in his chest. "I don't know if I want the full weight of Jedi responsibilities," he admitted quietly.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind just guiding you through some basics if that's what you wanted. It's _Rey_. She'd probably be overjoyed to help you." Poe grinned as he linked his and Finn's fingers together. "And BB-8 would be overjoyed to have her stay here longer."

Finn leaned over and kissed Poe. "Okay, I told you... now you owe me a story from your days as a shady spice runner," he murmured against Poe's lips, wide grin spreading over his face.

Poe groaned and leaned back in his seat. He ran a hand through his hair and laughed silently. "Never gonna let me live that down, huh?"

"Nope," Finn laughed.

Poe leaned forward and rested his elbows on the kitchen table. "Okay," he sighed. "It was a long time ago, just remember that!"

Finn just nodded slowly, an eager smile on his face. He leaned back in his chair and got comfortable as Poe launched into a story about some time he once spent in the Coruscant system.  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I've been going through _a lot_ personally lately and settling back into my FinnPoe feels has been like a warm blanket and a nice cup of tea ♥
> 
> Title is from Mumford & Sons - _Ghosts That We Knew_
> 
> I grew up watching Star Wars (a lot lol) and I absolutely _adored_ Han and Leia and I always felt like Finn and Poe's relationship was such a mirror to theirs. I hope I have done Han and Leia justice because I truly just love them so much.
> 
> And finally, I would like to say thank you to all of the lovely people over on tumblr who put up with my insanity and cheered me one while I worked on this! You all know who you are and I love you!
> 
> [tumblr](https://imwritesometimes.tumblr.com/)


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